Protection from Wolves
by caffeineaddict90
Summary: Bella testifies against her boyfriend, a notorious Organized Crime leader, and needs to go into the witness protection and relocation program.Agent Edward Cullen gets the task of acting as her protector,and unwillingly agrees. Full summary inside. AH
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone! Here is the first chapter of my second story. It's anti-jacob btw, sorry about that but he's just the perfect villain...mike's too spineless and I hateee james. Hope you all like it. Please review!

Disclaimer: Not mine:)

Protection from Wolves

Chapter 1: The Biggest Mistake

It was raining in Washington that night and the wind blew fiercely, whipping the girl's scarf into her face as she walked across the slick pavement. She had to hurry, or her life would be over sooner than she wanted it to be. "Just a few more hours, and then I'll be free," she kept muttering to herself. Her destination was a large Victorian mansion, the kind that people looked at and knew immediately that it belonged to someone rich and influential. She pushed the gate and surprisingly, it opened with the smallest bit of force. The stone pathway that led to the house was long and as she went past the landscaped gardens towards the front door, she heard a loud gunshot.

Against her better judgement, she went right, towards the pool-house and in the direction of the sound of the gunshot. She smelt the blood before she saw it and it made her head spin and her stomach clench in fear. Like a moth drawn to a flame, her feet kept on walking towards the young boy who was bleeding profusely through a wound in his stomach.

"Seth?" she whispered, kneeling besides the boy.

"Bella, get out!" he said. "He's gone to get more bullets. He'll be back soon. Please, go!"

"I can't leave you here," she said, shaking her head and taking out her cell phone. She knew it was going to be the death of her if Jacob saw her on the phone, but she couldn't let Seth die. She pressed the number seven key and hit the send button.

"Agent Callaway? This is Bella Swan. Please come here quick. He shot someone." There was a faint murmuring on the phone and she snapped it shut. She unwound the scarf from around her neck and placed it on Seth's wound, trying to stem the bleeding. The door of the house opened to reveal a large, dark-skinned man with shaggy black hair and what seemed like a permanent scowl etched on his face.

"What are you doing, Bella?" he said, walking up to her and pulling her up roughly by the arm. "I thought I'd told you to stay away from this part of the house."

She pulled her arm out of his grasp and took a few steps back. "I don't follow your orders anymore, Jacob. You are the sorriest excuse for a human being I have ever had the misfortune of meeting, and you are going to regret everything you have done to me and to this poor boy." She could hear the sound of the cop cars' sirens and so could Jacob. Understanding flashed in his eyes and he pulled out his gun and aimed it at Bella. She laughed bitterly and said, "Do your worst Jacob. You can't possible hurt me any worse than you already have."

She heard the gunshot, but she also saw Seth's leg kick out and hit Jacob, spoiling his aim as she felt the pain in her shoulder. She felt the sticky substance pouring out of her wound and the last thing she saw as the blackness overtook her was people with guns and Kevlar vests running after Jacob as he tried in vain to evade them.

* * *

_Two hours later- CIA headquarters:_

The group of men sitting around the table were discussing the Black case. The offender had been caught and was now sitting in a maximum security prison-cell in an orange jumpsuit, but the reason these important people were convened in the meeting room was Bella Swan.

"Black has been caught, but Ms. Swan's life is still in danger from the various other organized-crime rings whose businesses have suffered due to Black's imprisonment." The man who said this was the same man who had talked to Bella a few hours ago. "Ms. Swan still needs to recover from the bullet-wound she received, and will need twenty-four hour protection. I suggest she be put into the Witness Protection Program."

A man with bronze-coloured hair and green eyes looked at Callaway with trepidation. He knew what was coming, and he had been dreading it for weeks.

"Cullen," Callaway spoke, looking at him seriously. "You're being put on the case. Get her out of here, keep your location hidden, and keep her safe. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," he replied, sullenly. He couldn't believe that instead of tracking down criminals he'd be babysitting a silly girl who only had herself to blame for getting into such a difficult situation. Little did he know, that the girl who he had just termed 'silly,' would be nothing like he expected.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the CIA's secure hospital, Bella Swan was drifting back to a state of consciousness. She could hear the _beep-beep-beep _of the heart monitor and could feel the blissful numbness in her shoulder that masked the excrutiating pain she had felt when the bullet pierced her flesh. She opened her eyes, staring at the puke-green walls of the sterile hospital room and resisted the urge to gag. "Why did they have to make hospitals so unpleasant?" she thought. She wondered what had happened to Seth. Had he survived? And had they caught Jacob?

She wished someone would come into the empty room and explain everything to her. Her thoughts were going a mile-a-minute and she desperately needed to stop the direction in which they were headed. She remembered her time with Jacob all too well, and how everything had turned bad so fast.

She had met Jacob when she came to Forks to meet her dad during her summer break. She was studying Art and Interior Design at the University of Washington at the time, and wanted to go meet her dad, who she hadn't seen since two Thanksgivings ago. Billy, Jacob's father, was a very good friend of Charlie's and had been in Forks at the time with his son as well. Jacob and Bella had hit it off immediately, and had started dating. He was the ideal boyfriend, and had even been there at Bella's graduation. It was when Billy died that things started to get strange. One day, when Bella and Jacob were having lunch, Jacob got a phone call and went outside of the restaurant to take it. When he came back, his face was set in a stony expression that chilled Bella to the core. He told her they needed to go, threw a bunch of money on the table and dragged her out by the hand. Apparently, Billy had been killed by another organized crime ring member, although Bella did not find out about this until alot later. Jacob had lied to her and told her Billy had died of a heart-attack. She tried to comfort Jacob through his father's death, but he maintained a cold, impenetrable façade that she thought would melt away with time. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Bella had moved in with Jacob when he asked her to, although she didn't want to leave her apartment and art studio, she thought Jacob might need her while coping with his father's death. That had been the biggest mistake of her life. What she didn't know, was that Jacob had taken over his father's place in the OC ring and had turned into the cold-blooded killer Billy had been. Bella would have never found out if she hadn't come home from her job as an interior-designer early to give Jacob a surprise, and had found him with a few friends of his as they beat up a guy till he wasn't breathing anymore. Jacob and his pack of moronic friends (Paul, Sam, Quil and Embry) laughed at that guys pleas of mercy and continued to kick him and punch him with knuckle-bangers till he was dead. Unfortunately, Jacob had seen Bella and had gotten furious at her. That was the first night that he had hit her, and it wasn't the last.

She had attempted to hide her bruises with make-up and had begged Jacob to let her continue her job or else people would get suspicious. He had conceded and she had prayed day after day, that Jacob would stop being so cruel; that he would stop abusing her physically and emotionally. It was when she had seen him torturing and killing a young boy, barely older than seventeen, that she had finally snapped. That day, she took some time off work and went to talk to a CIA officer, who she had seen at Billy's funeral. She told him she'd testify and would do whatever they needed to do to get Jacob behind bars. She had suffered at his hand for three months, and it was already more than she could bear. She had always been a very strong person, and resented being subjected to such demeaning words and actions. The CIA had been incredibly grateful for her help, and had organized an operation to get Black in for good, but Bella had to force their hand when she saw Seth dying.

Bella was pulled out of her thoughts as the CIA officer, Agent Callaway came in along with a resentful looking, green-eyed adonis.

"Hello, Miss. Swan," Callaway said, "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Bella said, not taking her eyes off the other handsome agent who kept on staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the room. "Did you get Jacob? And how's Seth?"

"Black has been apprehended, and Seth is fine. He went through a tough surgery but in a few days, he'll be good as new." Bella nodded, relieved, and Callaway continued. "Bella, I need to talk to you about something. As you know, the Blacks had quite a few followers and alot of connections, so for your own safety, we've decided to put you in the Witness Protection and Relocation Program."

Bella looked at him, shocked, but she had a feeling that she couldn't talk her way out of this, and that the agitated agent had something to do with this.

"Agent Cullen here will take you to an obscure location that a minimum number of people at the agency will know about, to prevent any sort of information leakage. Don't worry about anything. He's one of our best agents. You will be posing as a newly-wed couple just to avoid questions and your name will be changed to Isabella Cullen. Everyone knows you as Bella so that shouldn't be a problem."

Bella looked at Callaway, incredulous, and her eyes shifted to the scowling agent. "Oh boy," she thought. "This was not what I was expecting."

A/N: reviewww:)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Laylanightshade: yes, I will be updating everyday. and the chapters will be a bit longer:)

As you'll see in this chapter, I've made Bella's personality quite diff from the book. She's a little more free-spirited in this story.

so here it is; enjoyyy! and reviewwwww!

Chapter 2:

BPOV:

I was discharged from the hospital a week later and it wasn't soon enough. I hated the sterile smell of the place, the food tasted and looked like grey mush, and looking at the walls made my head ache. The doctors had given me pain meds and made me promise to do daily exercises for my shoulder. Unfortunately, Seth wasn't so lucky. He was stuck in the hospital for at least three more weeks and was being monitored constantly by both the doctors and the CIA. He wasn't in as much danger from Jacob's goons as I was, but they still had to take precautions.

I had changed out of my hospital gown into jeans and a blue, v-necked blouse. My arm was in a sling so it was hard for me to get everything done but eventually, I was good to go. I walked out of my room and saw Agent Cullen standing outside, waiting for me, I assumed. He was wearing a pair of casual beige pants with a black polo shirt but his expression looked as stony as the last time I saw him.

I gave him a bright smile and said, "Hello, hubby dearest." He looked at me, shocked. I laughed as we walked out of the hospital into the parking lot.

"Do you think this situation is funny, Miss. Swan?" he scowled.

"Oh no, definitely not. It's merely your reaction to my feeble attempt at making light of an impossibly difficult situation that I find amusing."

"Whatever," he said, opening the door to a silver Lexus for me. I got in and he walked to the driver's side and started driving towards the highway.

"So, where are we going?" I asked, examining the spotless car.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he said, not taking his eyes off the road as he drove 20 mph above the speed limit, weaving around the cars whose drivers honked their horns angrily at him.

I was starting to lose my temper with him myself. He didn't have to be so rude. "What's your problem, anyway?" I said, folding my arms and looking at him angrily.

"You're seriously asking me that?" he said, incredulous.

"Of course!" I said, raising my voice in frustration. "What have I ever done to you to make you hate me so much?"

"Well, maybe this will answer your question. How would you feel if instead of hunting down criminals -which, by the way, is your speciality- you have to babysit an annoying girl who didn't have enough of a brain to figure out that the guy she was dating for two years was the son of one of the most wanted drug lords in the country!"

I froze as he said that. Angry tears formed in my eyes but I stopped them before they could fall. "Stop the car," I said, incensed.

"We can't stop, we're on the highway," he said, matter-of-factly.

"I said stop the freaking car Cullen!" He turned off to the right and stopped the car, looking at me in surprise. I took off my seatbelt and got out of the car.

"Hey," he shouted after me, getting out of the car as well. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I'm going back home. There's no way I'm going anywhere with you."

He grabbed my good arm and turned me around. "Do you want to get yourself killed? And in case you forgot, you don't have a home anymore."

I shook my arm out of his grasp and grabbed his shirt by the collar. "You think I'd forget something like that? You think I don't remember every single thing that Jacob Black did to me?" I let go of his collar and pulled up my sleeve to show him the scar that ran from the crook of my elbow to my wrist. "You don't think I have the scars to remind me even if, by some miracle, I forget?"

His face was a mask of shock and horror as he looked at my arm. I pulled my sleeve back down and said, "You don't know anything about me, so stop acting like you do." I started walking back in the direction I was headed before he stopped me. I had barely taken ten steps when he came towards me and gently touched my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said, sincerely. "I didn't know...that it got so bad."

I stayed where I was, not turning around. "I thought you would have read everything in my file." I heard him sigh.

"I didn't read your whole file, just the basic stuff about where you were born and who your parents are. I have it with me; I thought I'd read it when we got to Chicago," he said, turning me again to face him, but alot more gently this time. He raised my chin with his finger, forcing me to meet his eyes, and wiped away the tears that had fallen despite my efforts. "I'm truly sorry, Bella. For everything that I said to you, and everything that bastard did to you. Now will you please come back to the car? I don't want you to get killed and give Callaway another chance to put me on probation again or better yet, fire me." He had a lopsided grin on his face and his eyes were practically dripping with sincerity.

It was then that I realized something. "You're on probation?" I asked, a smile beginning to creep on my face.

"Can we discuss this in the car," he asked, looking around. "This place is too exposed."

I nodded and followed him back to the car. "So?" I asked.

"Do I have to?" he asked, grimacing, and looking like a child who had to confess that he had stolen a cookie from the cookie jar.

"Yes," I said, grinning at him.

"I was put on probation about a month ago." He didn't elaborate.

"And...?" I asked.

He sighed. "I was put on a case that required some...unconventional methods for getting information. Boss didn't like it, so he put me on probation."

"What did you do?" I asked, amused.

"I slammed a guy's face into the wall and threatened to plant drugs on him and put him in jail for life if he didn't tell me who his employer was. Unfortunately, Callaway found out when the guy threatened to press assault charges, and the rest, as they say, is history."

I frowned. Edward didn't seem like a violent guy, but neither did Jacob, initially. I shuddered involuntarily, and Edward noticed and figured what was going on in my head.

He smiled at me reassuringly, but had a worried look in his eyes. "I'm not Jacob, Bella. I'm here to protect you, not to hurt you. I could never do that. Sorry if I scared you."

I looked up, and as soon as my eyes met his, I knew he was telling the truth. There was something about Edward Cullen; I didn't know what it was, but it made me feel like I could trust him and that he wouldn't betray me like Jacob did. He wouldn't break any promises he made to me.

"I believe you," I said, smiling at him. He smiled back and we kept driving and talking until we reached Chicago.

* * *

I felt someone shaking me, but I didn't want to get up- this was the best sleep I had had in weeks. "Five more minutes," I muttered. I heard someone chuckle and suddenly felt myself being hauled into a pair of strong, muscled arms. My eyes flew open and my heart starting hammering in my chest as I panicked. Once I saw whose arms I was in though, I relaxed. It was Edward, not my psycho ex-boyfriend.

"Edward, what are you doing?" I asked, as he carried me across a stone pathway, bridal style.

"I _was _carrying you inside because you were asleep and wanted an extra five minutes, but unfortunately I woke you. Sorry," he said, grinning. He walked up three steps that led to a white door with a gold knocker.

"Welcome to your new home, Bella," he said. How he managed to get the door unlocked and open while carrying me, despite my protests, was beyond me. He finally put me down when we walked through the door and into the foyer, and went to get our bags. I didn't even know we had bags, since I didn't get to pack any of my stuff myself.

I waited for Edward to come and then we explored the house once he had locked several locks on the main door and set up a complicated looking security alarm system. The house was beautiful and elegantly furnished. There were three bedrooms upstairs; one had a gorgeous four-poster bed with white bedding and curtains with splashes of black here and there, the second one had a sky-blue and gold theme while the third one was decorated in sea-green and blue tones. There were two bathrooms upstairs and a powder room downstairs beside the living and dining room. The kitchen however, was my favourite part of the house. It had a grey flagstone floor, with black, speckled marble counters and a kitchen island in the middle of the room. There were two stools beside the island, and I could see myself and Edward having breakfast there every morning. The appliances were all made of stainless steel and there was everything we'd need; an espresso machine, a microwave, a stove, an oven and a fridge.

"This kitchen is amazing Edward!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. "I can't wait to explore it tomorrow."

Edward laughed tiredly and said, "I'm glad you like it. Now tell me, which room do you want me to put your bags in?"

"I'll take my bags, don't worry. You look dead on your feet. Let's go." I went to get what looked like my bag but before I could lift it, Edward had taken it from my hands.

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a lady carry heavy bags up the stairs while she's recovering from a gunshot wound?" he said, smiling mischieviously. I laughed and let him carry the bags up.

"So, which room?" he asked.

"You choose yours first."

"Nope, you go first."

"Nope, you first"

"Bella!" he exclaimed.

"We could do this all night, Edward. Now choose your damn room already."

"Fine, I'll take the blue and gold one," he said, defeatedly.

"Good!" I said, laughing at his expression. "I'll take the white one. I love four-poster beds."

He put my bags in the room and stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. "If you need anything, I'll be in my room. Goodnight."

"Thanks, Edward," I said, smiling at him. "I'll see you in the morning."

He left my room, closing the door on his way out. I collapsed on my bed and fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

A/N: REVIEWWW!~


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you so much for all your sweet reviews ppl! they totally made my day! and guys sorry I had to change carlisle's last name coz I forgot to make Edward a Masen instead of a Cullen. I changed it to Platt, which was Esme's maiden name.

Layla Nightshade, this is an all-human story...and I put in your fav character, hope u like it:)

Hope you all like this chapter, tell me your thoughts; Reviewww!~

_Chapter 3:_

_BPOV:_

I could tell I was dreaming, but that didn't lessen the horror of what I was seeing. I could see him walking towards me, a murderous look on his face. I was cowering in a corner of the room that had become my prison all those months ago, and my hands were shaking as I held them over my face, trying to protect myself from his rage. I started screaming as I saw him take out a gun and point it towards me. I saw Edward and Seth running towards me, but they were too late. Jacob pulled the trigger, but instead of the bullet hitting me, it somehow hit Edward and Seth and I saw them collapsing on the floor in pain, their eyes rolling back into their head. Dead. I woke up screaming at the top of my lungs.

The door to my room burst open suddenly and a haggard looking Edward ran in carrying a gun. "Bella, what happened?" he asked, worry etched on his face, looking around the room for the source of my fear. "Are you alright?"

I threw my arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder. He rubbed soothing circles on my back until the tears stopped.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

I nodded. "Sorry I woke you up. I was being silly. It was just a nightmare."

"Don't worry about it. You weren't being silly. I..." he trailed off.

I gave him a questioning look, and he said, "I read your file before I fell asleep. Bella, what he did to you...it was...there aren't even enough words to describe what a sadistic moron that man is. I swear if I ever saw him, there's no way he's getting away from me alive."

I looked at Edward, horrified. What he was saying was coming too close to what I had dreamt. I couldn't let Edward get hurt because of me. I took his face forcefully in my hands and looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Edward, listen to me, if Jacob ever does come near you, all you will do is run away from him as fast as possible. Got it? You are not going to risk your life because of what he did to me."

"Bella, you are being utterly absurd," he said, incredulously. "You actually expect me to run away with my tail between my legs? Not happening, sweetheart."

I balked. Did he just call me sweetheart? "_Focus, Bella!" _I thought to myself. I shook my head at Edward, and got out of bed. I could tell by the light coming through the windows that it was barely past dawn, but I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.

"We'll talk about this later. Now tell me what do you want for breakfast?" I asked, opening my bag and searching for something to wear.

"You don't have to cook for me, Bella," he said, smiling in my direction.

"Isn't that what wives do?" I asked, smiling back at him coyly. "Or am I mistaken?"

He laughed at that and said, "Not necessarily. I'm okay with a bowl of cereal, whatever works for you. And don't exert yourself; your shoulder's not completely healed yet."

I rolled my eyes at him and said, "Yes mom! I'm gonna go take a shower and get changed, and then I'm making us breakfast."

He nodded and said he'd go get ready as well. I grabbed my toiletries, a pair of jeans and a blush pink t-shirt that said "Don't mess with this chick, she got mad kung fu skills" in black letters and had a skull and crossbones made on it. It was one of my all time favourites. I was grateful to whoever had the courage to go back to the Black Mansion and get my stuff for me. Everything I needed was in the bag; shoes, clothes, make-up and even my pj's.

I took a nice, hot, relaxing shower and changed quickly into my clothes. I walked down to the kitchen and decided I would make chocolate chip waffles. I took out the waffle mix and hershey's chocolate chips from the fridge and turned on the waffle iron I found. When I opened one of the cupboards, looking for a whisk, I literally shrieked in surprise. There was one of my most coveted appliances, a kenwood chef, sitting there in all it's shining, stainless steel glory. I took it out and placed it on the island. I made a point to read the manual when I was done making breakfast.

I was almost done making the waffles when Edward walked in, his bronze hair tousled into disarray. He looked incredibly handsome in a green t-shirt and jeans, bringing out his eyes. He laughed when he saw my shirt and I smiled at him, pushing the plate of waffles towards him. He dug in immediately and closed his eyes in pleasure as he tasted the first bite.

"Did you put a piece of heaven in these waffles, Bella?" he said, smiling at me in appreciation. I laughed at him and sat down opposite to him on the island and began eating my own waffles, staring at my kenwood appliance lovingly. Edward noticed the source of my distraction and looked at me questioningly. "Why are you looking at that hunk of metal like it's your firstborn?"

I laughed at that and replied, "This, my dear Mr. Cullen, is a kenwood chef, the best appliance for anyone who likes to cook and bake. I think I'll name it Kenny."

"You're seriously going to name a kitchen appliance?" he said, trying to hold in his laughter.

I folded my arms, and an idea came to me. "What's your car's name Edward?"

"Stella," he said, distractedly as he munched on his third waffle. I started laughing my head off at the expression on his face as he realized what he had said.

"Fine," he said, smiling indulgently. "To each his own, I guess."

I nodded at that and picked up 'Kenny's" manual when the doorbell rang. Edward looked up warily and saw who it was from the window. "I think it's one of our neighbors, Bella," he said.

"I'll get it," I said, walking to the door and opening it. Standing in front of me was a small girl, about 5'2" with short black hair and a wide grin on her face. She had a pie in her hand and thrust it towards me, saying, "Hi! I'm Alice Whitlock! Welcome to the neighborhood!"

I grinned back at her, taking the pie and inviting her in. "I'm Isabella Sw...Cullen!" I said, almost slipping up.

Edward came out of the living room then, and greeted Alice.

"I live in the house next to yours," she said, pointing to her right. "My husband, Jasper and I moved here about two years ago. How are you liking Chicago so far?"

We sat down in the living room and I said, "It's beautiful."

We chatted about little things like where we'd come from and what we did for a living. Our cover story was that we'd moved from Seattle and Edward was a free-lance writer while I was an artist. My profession was close to my real one and Edward had in fact studied Creative Writing in University. Alice was a very sweet person and had gotten married two years ago to her high-school sweetheart. She told us about the rest of the neighbours; Emmet and Rosalie McCarty, Dr. Carlisle and Esme Platt, Jane and Felix Smith, and Ben and Angela Cheney. Alice invited us to a party she was having tomorrow so she could introduce us to the rest of the neighbors and we agreed.

As soon as she left, however, Edward and I both breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard pretending to be a newly married couple, and Alice seemed like a particularly observant person. I hoped the rest of the neighbours weren't as perceptive.

"So what are you going to do today?" Edward asked.

"I'm going to test out my Kenny," I said, giggling. Edward, too, smiled and announced he was going to watch T.V.

I skipped off to the kitchen and quickly skimmed through the manual, and set to work on making a loaf of bread. Once everything was done, I went to sit with Edward. He was watching Donnie Brasco, one of my favourite movies. We watched it together, commenting on our favourite parts and laughing when we realized how similar our thoughts were. I was enjoying myself immensely and as far as I could see, so was Edward. We kept on watching movie after movie until it was lunch time. We had my freshly-baked bread with grilled chicken and mushrooms. Edward claimed that it was the best meal he had had in his entire life. I didn't believe him but his comment spiked my curiosity.

"Edward, I just realized I don't know anything about you," I said.

I saw him tense up a little as he asked, "What do you want to know?"

"About your parents, your childhood...anything that's not too personal too tell," I said, trying to put him at ease.

He smiled at me tightly and began telling me about his childhood. "My parents were Edward Sr. and Elizabeth Cullen. They were very rich, and ran a very profitable winery. Their vineyards were known world-wide as one of the best in America. I had a happy childhood, but whenever it came to discussions about my future, my parents always assumed that I would take over the winery. I didn't want that. All I wanted to do was join the forces, but they were incredibly against it, and one day I decided I had had enough and blew up at my father. I tried to convince him to see things from my perspective but he was beyond reason, so I left."

I stared at him in shock. "You left your home? And your parents?"

He nodded, and continued his story. "I was recruited by the CIA a few months after I left home and started studying at university. I worked dilligently and for a long time, my entire being was focused towards my work. I worked on alot of cases, and very quickly climbed the ranks to being one of the top agents the CIA had. Of course, that meant that I had absolutely no social life, but at the time, I didn't mind." He stopped his monologue and smiled at me. He had an indecipherable look in his eyes. If I didn't know better, I would have interpreted it as longing.

"And what about your parents? What happened to them?"

"I haven't seen them in years."

It was sad the way he spoke of them as if the were dead. It didn't escape my notice that he previously referred to them in the past tense. I nodded at him but didn't push him any further. "Thank you for telling me. I know it must have been hard."

He smiled at me again, and I was glad to see that this smile was a bit more relaxed than the previous one.

"You're welcome. And I think I will have to tell you stuff if I have to compete with Kenny for your attention," he said, teasingly. "I've been driven to compete against an electrical contraption for my wife's time. This is inexcusable."

I laughed at that, and we went back to watching more movies. We had popcorn and coke for dinner (very healthy, I know) while watching V for Vendetta and Scarface.

Tomorrow would be a hectic day with Alice's party so we decided to go to bed early and said our goodnights. That night, I slept free of nightmares, with a smile on my face thinking about Edward and his heart-stopping smile.

* * *

The next day, we went grocery shopping at the nearest store and then came home to get ready for Alice's party. I rummaged through my bag (I hadn't unpacked yet) and found a casual, knee-length black dress that was perfect for the occassion. It was strapless, made of stretch cotton and had a wide, studded belt around the waist. I wore a pair of black, jewelled sandals with it because I couldn't wear heels to save my life and let my hair hang in loose curls. I put on a light coat of make-up on my face. I had taken my sling off yesterday so I had to do something about the bruises and scars on my arms. I covered them with a thick coat of foundation, wincing in pain when I touched a spot that was still too tender. When I was satisfied with my appearance, I grabbed my silver clutch and walked down to the living room. Edward was sitting there, already dressed smartly in a blue-and-white striped button down shirt and chinos. He turned around as I entered the living room and his mouth hung open. I walked over to him and closed it for him, and said teasingly, "Don't swallow a fly, darling. You might choke."

He composed himself then and said, "You look beautiful."

I smiled and thanked him. "Shall we go then?" I asked.

He nodded and opened the door for me as we walked out and made our way to Alice's house. When we reached the front door, I slipped my hand into Edwards and he smiled at me, surprised.

"We have to play the part, right?" I whispered in his ear, laughing quietly.

"Have you ever considered joining the CIA, Isabella?" he asked, jokingly and rang the doorbell. Alice appeared in front of us, jumping up and down excitedly and hugging me like we had known each other for ages rather than just two days.

"I'm so gald you guys could make it!" she said, ushering us in. A tall blonde man with blue eyes walked towards us then and shook Edward's hand, followed by mine. "You must be Edward and Isabella Cullen. I'm Jasper Whitlock, Alice's husband," he said, in a casual southern drawl.

I nodded and we went through the usual pleasantries. Alice then took me by the hand, leaving Edward and Jasper behind, and introduced me to the rest of the families.

Rosalie was a gorgeous blonde model who I liked instantly. She was very sweet, as was her bear of a husband, Emmet. He was incredibly funny and made us all laugh with his stories about the customers at his garage. The next couple I met were Carlisle and Esme. Alice had told me that they had recently adopted a baby boy, Adam, as they were unable to have their own kids. Esme was an interior decorator (I couldn't tell her that I was too, unfortunately) and had tonnes more experience than I did, seeing as she was well into her thirties while I was still 23. Carlisle was a dedicated doctor at the city's largest hospital and seemed uncommonly compassionate. Jane and Felix were two of the most 'desperately-in-love' people I had ever met. Jane was beautiful, with brown hair and a petite frame similar to Alice's and was incredibly charismatic, while her husband Felix was a big baseball fan whose first question to me was, "Cubs or Sox?"

"Sox?" I said, hesitantly. He grinned at me and gave me a high-five. It seemed like I had passed the most important test in his book.

I met Angela next, who was a journalist but had taken time off from work as she was seven months pregnant. Her husband, Ben, was a software engineer and still looked at Angela with goo-goo eyes even after 3 years of marriage.

I saw Edward mingling with the crowd as well, and I waved at him from across the room. He smiled at me and waved back.

"He looks at you the same way Carlisle looked at me when we first fell in love." I turned around to see Esme standing behind me, cradling a sleeping Adam in her arms.

"Really?" I asked. I knew she was wrong, but I had to make the lie of our marriage believable. People just saw what they wanted to see.

"Yes. You two make a very beautiful couple, and I can see you're as much in love with him as he is with you."

I blushed at that. I knew I had less-than-platonic feelings for Edward, but I didn't think he thought of me as more than a friend. "That's true," I said, eager to change the subject. "So do you know any place I can get art supplies from? I need to start on some of my paintings and I couldn't pack any of my stuff back home to bring with me."

She smiled at my rather obvious subject change but went along with it anyway.

After an evening of getting to know all of our neighbours, I was exhausted and just wanted to cuddle up next to Edward on the couch and watch movies for the rest of the night.

"Edward," I said, walking up to him. "You wanna head home, honey? I'm getting really tired."

"Took the words right out of my mouth, honey," he said, playing the part of the adoring husband perfectly. I almost believed him myself. Almost.

A/N: Any thoughts? comments? REVIEWWW!:)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: wow! so many reviews! you guys rock! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! A special shout out to michelemybella; your reviews are always so sweet and funny:) thanks!

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy and review if you want faster updates and longer chapters:) and sorry for any mistakes, I have to hit the sack so I can't manually check for errors...

Disclaimer: not mine

_Chapter 4:_

_1 week later:_

BPOV:

Edward and I went to get my art supplies from the shop that Esme had told me about. It was raining when we left that morning in Edward's 'Stella', and we ran into the store trying to escape the water droplets that threatened to turn my hair into a mass of uncontrollable frizz. I grabbed a trolley and we went from aisle to aisle getting the stuff I needed. Edward didn't have any idea about what half the stuff was so he just kept pushing the cart for me while I was lost in my own arty world.

"I can't wait to see your work," Edward said as I handed him a set of brushes distractedly.

I smiled at him, and said, "I'm not that good. Don't set yourself up for disappointment."

"I doubt that, but maybe you just need a good work subject," he smiled at me mischievously. "Maybe you need a hot CIA agent with amazingly good looks and killer charm to make you realize your true potential." He gave an exaggerated pout, and I started laughing hysterically as he struck a model pose.

I wiped the tears of laughter from my eyes and said, "You will be the death of me Edward Cullen!" He stiffened suddenly and said softly, "I hope not."

"Oh Edward, I was just kidding," I said, brushing his cheek soothingly with my hand. Acting like a married couple came like second nature to us now. Whenever we went out of the house, I would automatically take Edward's hand, and whenever we went out for dinner or to our neighbors' house, he would open doors for me and place his hand on the small of my back lovingly. We had carefully crafted a false life for ourselves but the problem was, I was beginning to believe in it myself. I had by no means forgotten about Jacob and the danger not only I, but Edward was in as well. I knew it was all my fault that his life was at risk, but I couldn't do anything about it. All I could do was pray with all my heart that Edward didn't get hurt.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when we reached the cashier and Edward started piling all my purchases on the conveyer belt. I helped him and then took out my CIA-issued credit card to pay for everything. I thought it was too nice of them to give me a credit card with no limit but Edward assured me that that's what they did with everyone who went into the program. We put my canvases, oil paints, water colours, charcoal pencils and everything else I needed to begin my paintings in the car and drove back home. As soon as we got into the house, the phone started ringing shrilly. Edward picked it up, saying "Cullen residence. Oh hello Alice. Yes, she's right here. Hold on a second."

"It's for you," he said, handing me the phone.

"Hey Alice," I said, wondering why she'd called. I hope there wasn't another party, because I seriously wasn't up for one now.

"Hey Isabella! You mind if I call you Izzy? Isabella's a bit of a mouthful," she said, talking a mile a minute.

I chuckled. "Sure, Alice. So how are you and Jasper?"

"Oh we're good. Jazzy surprised me with flowers and chocolates yesterday when he came back from University." Jasper was a professor at the local University, while Alice was a fashion designer.

"Oh that's wonderful..." I trailed off, wanting her to get to the point of the conversation.

"So I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping tomorrow with me, Rosalie and Angela. Angela needs to get some stuff for the baby and Rose and I need clothes for her baby shower. We thought we'd make it a girls-night-out complete with mani-pedis and a nice lunch."

"Oh," I said, looking at Edward. I didn't know if it'd be okay with the CIA people if I went without Edward. "Hold on a second Alice, let me ask Edward. We needed to go meet his parents tomorrow," I lied. I put my hand over the phone and related the info to Edward.

"You don't need my permission Bella, go have fun. We'll figure something out." I smiled at him gratefully and told Alice I'd see her tomorrow.

I hung up after Alice was done squealing in excitement, and sat next to Edward on the couch as he turned the TV on to the news channel. "Anything interesting happening in the world?" I asked. I had been so lost in my own little world with Edward that world war three could have started and I would have been completely oblivious.

He smiled at me and shook his head. "Nothing that concerns us, thank God. So what time do you have to go tomorrow?"

"Noon. What are you going to do while I'm out?"

"Make sure you stay safe," he said with a crooked smile.

"And how are you gonna do that? I doubt the ladies would let you come along while we're baby and clothes shopping."

"And what about you? Would you mind?" he said, his tone joking but his eyes serious.

I smiled at him reassuringly and replied, "Of course not. I'd love it if you came."

"Well, that's good because I'll be keeping a close eye on you," he said, smiling in relief. "I'll follow you once you've left."

I nodded at him and we spent the rest of the day lazing around the house.

* * *

_EPOV:_

Bella looked gorgeous when she left with Alice, Rosalie and a heavily pregnant Angela. I had given her an earpiece and a mic, so she had left her hair down to hide it. I felt a twinge in my chest as I saw her walk out of the door. I knew I'd be following her in a few minutes, but I had noticed that whenever Bella said goodbye to me in any way, I felt like calling out to her to come back. I was confused by this. I knew I had certain feelings for Bella but I had never imagined that they ran so deep. She wasn't just my assignment, she was my friend, as well as my confidant. If I wasn't careful, she would also become the first woman I fell in love with. I shook my head, trying to chase away the thoughts before they rooted themselves too deeply in my brain. A time would come that I would have to let go of her. A time would come that my assignment would be over. Would Bella want to see me then, when I was no longer responsible for her protection?

I picked up my keys and walked to my car quickly, trying to distract myself from the path my thoughts were taking. I put in my own earpiece so I could hear Bella an her friends.

"I think we should do the baby shopping first," I heard Rosalie say. "It's more fun. Then we can have lunch and shop for clothes."

Everyone agreed and all I could hear for a while was Taylor Swift blaring from the speakers. Why were girls so obsessed with her songs anyway?

"So, Izyy, how did you and Edward meet?" Alice asked. I panicked. We weren't prepared for this. Damn it! How could I forget something so important.

"Starbucks," I whispered to Bella through my mic. She caught on and began telling Alice.

"We met at Starbucks. I was on my lunch break from work and I bumped into Edward, and being the klutz that I am, I spilled my Iced Latte all over him. I apologized over and over again but he wouldn't have any of it. When I asked him how I could make it up to him, he asked me if I would go to a dinner party with him that one of his clients was hosting. He hates parties but there was no way he could get out it, so he said that me going with him would make the experience alot more entertaining. We hit it off immediately and dated for a while before getting married about a year later."

Everyone 'aww'd' and I smiled at Bella's quick thinking and said, "Impressive, darling." Even thought I couldn't see her, I knew she would be blushing now.

"So you knew eachother for just a year before you got married?" Angela asked in a timid voice.

"Yes," Bella said. "But I'd never felt anything for anyone else like I had for Edward. I knew I loved him just a few weeks after we were dating. I didn't tell him so soon, of course. I always thought I'd liked him more than he like me." She said this with such conviction, that for a moment, I completely believed her. She sounded so honest and truthful. Could it be that Bella was in love with me too? "No" I thought, dismissing my crazy notions. She was just a good actress. She was just trying to maintain our cover, that's all.

I saw their car stop in the mall parking lot, and I stopped mine a few parking spaces away. I put on a baseball cap and sunglasses and followed them into the mall.

The went to a babyshop, exclaiming over the cute outfits and I saw Bella stare longingly at a white crib with little pink flowers on it. I wasn't that far away, so I could see as she brushed a tear away. I felt my heart give a painful squeeze. She looked so sad.

"Don't cry," I whispered into the mic. I saw her tense up. "I'm here for you, Bella. I'm right here." I didn't know what made her so sad, but I'd be damned if I saw another tear fall from her eyes.

She smiled, nodded and whispered, "Thank you."

The girls did their shopping and I followed them around all day. The went to small bistro for lunch and then went to various clothing stores where I'm sure they put major dents in their bank accounts. They talked about their respective jobs and husbands, and from what I could tell, Alice loved her job and was a shopaholic, and Rose was, surprisingly, a very motherly kind of person who was desperate to have her own children, despite the fact that it might put an end to her career as a model. I saw Bella get up from her chair and make her way to the bookshop opposite the Bistro. "Come with me, please," she whispered into her mic, and I followed her. She was in the fiction section, leaning against a bookcase. She ran up to me and hugged me tightly. "I missed you," she said, her voice cracking.

"I missed you too," I said, hugging her to my chest tightly. "Are you alright?"

"No...but I'm better now after seeing you," she said, letting go of me and smiling tightly. "We'll talk when I get home, okay?"

I nodded and she left the store to go back to her friends. I waited patiently as I followed them to the salon and they got their nails done. Finally, they came out of the mall and drove back home. I followed them back and as soon as Bella opened the main door to our house and dumped all her shopping bags onto the sofa, I parked my car in the driveway and walked in hastily.

I sat down next to Bella on the sofa. She tucked her legs underneath her and opened a brown paper bad, taking out a big chicken sandwich and handed it to me.

"I thought all that surveillance work would have made you hungry."

I laughed and took a huge bite out of the sandwich. "You were right," I said, swallowing.

We were quiet for a while as I munched on my sandwich. I was done within five minutes and looked up at Bella questioningly. She looked hesitant to tell me whatever it was that she thought I needed to know. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Bella."

She shook her head. "No, I want to. I _need_ to." She took in a deep breath and started talking. "I told you that when I had graduated from University, I moved in with Jacob, and you know what happened some time later. What you don't know is that...that I got pregnant." I stared at her, shocked. Tears were streaming down her face but I was frozen in place, unable to comfort her. "I was shocked at first, of course, but then I realized something. I was _happy_ about it. I wanted this baby more than I had wanted anything in my life. I thought I'd loved Jacob and that my feelings were reciprocated. I was wrong, obviously. When I told him, he blew up and in a fit of rage, he pushed me into the wall and kicked me in the stomach. I was unconscious for the next part, but when Jacob realized what he had done, he took me to the hospital. When I woke up, the doctor told me I had miscarried. I was devastated. I wanted to leave Jacob then, but he threatened to hurt not only me, but even Charlie and Renee so I had to stay. I didn't have a choice..."

I took her into my arms and rubbed her back as she cried even more. Her tears seemed endless, but eventually, they stopped. She raised her head and gave me a small smile. "You're the only person I've told this to."

"I'm sorry you had to suffer so much Bella, but I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me," I said, kissing her forehead.

"I'm glad I told you, too," she said, and I could tell how exhausted she was, both emotionally and physically. I waited until I heard her breathing even out, and carried her carefully up to her room. I laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

I kissed her forehead again and heard her say, "Edward." I thought she was awake, but it looked like she was sleep-talking. I smiled. She was dreaming about me.

"Edward, I love you."

I stared at her in shock. Did she just say what I think she said?

* * *

A/N: Reviewwwwwww!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N:Oh my God! 7 reviews for the last chapter! i am so stoked guys! thank you all for reviewing. Layla Nightshade:thanks so much! I'll look into it:) Shelly: Thank youuuu! your review was so sweeeet!

I decided to update early since you all were sooo amazing. Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, I don't have time to check it manually. so here's the next chappie! enjoyy!

P.S. there's a quote from one of the twilight books, its in italics. I've always loved this quote:)

REVIEWW!

Disclaimer: never was mine and never will be.

_Chapter 5:_

BPOV:

I didn't know how I'd ended up in my bed. The last thing I remember was talking to Edward in the living room and staining his shirt with my tears. It was extremely hard for me to tell him the one thing I had never told anyone, not even my parents.

By the light, or lack thereof, coming through my window I could see it was still dark. When I tried to move to check the time on the clock, I suddenly realized that I was not alone in my room. Edward was sitting beside me on the bed, his head resting on the headboard and his hand clasping mine tightly. He was deep asleep, and there was a small smile on his lips. I didn't move; I didn't want to wake him. I put two and two together and deduced that he must have brought me up to bed when I fell asleep downstairs. I remembered the dream I had last night as I stared at his angelic face. No matter how much I tried to push them to the back of mind, my feelings always made their way to the fore-front in my dreams. I had seen Edward and I sitting under a tree in a park, sipping champagne in papercups. Two little kids, a boy with bronze hair and brown eyes, and a girl with brown pigtails and striking green eyes played around us, their cherubic faces full of excitement and happiness. I knew they were our kids, as I stared at them lovingly, and turned my face towards Edward, kissing him lightly.

"I love you, Edward."

"Not as much as I love you, sweetheart," he replied, touching my nose with his index finger.

I laughed at that, and said "_You compare one small tree to the entire forest." _

It was one of the best dreams I had ever had. I wondered what Edward was dreaming about right now.

When I woke up again, Edward wasn't there. I pouted, unable to stop the feeling of disappointment as it rushed through me. I was getting out of bed when Edward walked in, carrying a tray laden with waffles, eggs, bacon, milk and two steaming cups of coffee. I grinned at him, and asked, "Breakfast in bed?"

"I thought you deserved a break from all the cooking," he said, his eyes gleaming with an unfathomable emotion. He placed the tray on the bed and sat facing me on the bed, indian-style. I mimicked his movements and both of us picked up a plate and started eating.

"Wow! You can cook, Edward!" I exclaimed.

He scowled at my shocked tone and replied, "Yes, people do tend to learn how to cook when they've lived alone for quite a few years."

I giggled. "Well, you're good."

"Thank you," he replied, smiling at me again. We continued eating the delicious breakfast and washing it down with coffee. Edward had made it perfectly; a doubleshot of espresso with just a little bit of milk and a spoon of sugar. I was so grateful for the espresso machine in our kitchen.

Edward looked up at me as I swallowed my last sip of the heavenly caffeine-laden liquid. "Bella, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I said, looking at him curiously.

"Would you...uhm...mind going out to dinner with me tonight?" he said, nervously.

"Like a date?" I asked, hesitantly, not sure what he was trying to say. Unfortunately, he mistook my hesitation for reluctance.

"Well, yes. The thing is Bella, I like you. I _more _than like you, actually." I froze, shocked. He leaned towards me and took my face in his hands. "You've come to mean more to me than anyone else in my life. I'm not exactly sure how you feel about me, but I don't want to push you, Bella. It's your call."

I stared into his eyes, unable to believe that my feelings were reciprocated. My mouth stretched into a huge grin. "I more than like you too, Edward. So, yes, I will go out to dinner with you."

"Then I will see you tonight at seven, Miss. Isabella Swan," he said, triumphant, and kissing my hand as he left the room.

I squealed excitedly and did a happy dance. I was going out with Edward freaking Cullen!

* * *

EPOV:

As soon as I left Bella's room, I pumped my fist in the air. She actually said yes! I know I heard her say she loved me in her sleep, but I didn't tell her for fear of embarrassing her, and I wanted to figure out my own feelings before I confronted Bella about hers. She was so delicate, like a porcelain-doll and I didn't want to hurt her in even the smallest way. Jacob had done enough of that. All I knew was that I wanted to make Bella happy. She deserved to be loved and taken care of just like any other human being, and I knew I'd do my damndest to make sure that she had the happiest life possible.

_A few hours later:_

I was nervously fiddling with my collar as I got ready for my date with Bella. My anxiety was understandable considering I hadn't been on a date in five years, and this was Bella, the most important person in my life that I was taking out to dinner.

Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I went to the living room to wait for Bella. In a few short minutes, I heard her come down the stairs. I got up from the sofa and turned around to see the most beautiful angel I had ever encountered. She was wearing a midnight blue, strapless dress that reached all the way down to her ankles, and fluttered when she moved. She had half her hair up and the rest hung in loose curls. She left me as speechless as the time we went to Alice's party. She was a vision.

"Hello," she said, smiling at me appreciatively.

"You look beautiful, Bella," I said, taking her hand and kissing it. "Shall we go?"

She nodded and we went to the car and I drove towards the restaurant that I had decided to take her to. Bella wasn't one for extravagant things, so I took her to a low-key but very good Pizza place that Chicago was famous for. It had an elegant though relaxed atmosphere that seemed to put Bella at ease. I could see she was as nervous as I was, but was trying not to show it. I held out her chair for her and we sat down, giving our order to the annoying waiter who was looking at Bella much too often for my comfort. It took all my willpower not to whip out my badge and arrest him on some made-up charge.

Bella noticed my obviously furious expression and smiled. "Jealous much, darling?"

"Well what if I am?" I said defensively.

She laughed brightly and said, "Oh I don't mind, I actually think it's quite cute."

I laughed and the rest of our evening passed wonderfully. We both drank a little too much wine and were tipsy by the end, so I asked the annoying waiter to call us a cab instead. Bella's cheeks were now flushed a permanent red and her eyes were bright. My cell rang as I was helping Bella into the cab. It was Rosalie.

"Angela went into premature labour! We're all going to the hospital," she said, with equal amounts of stress for her friend's well-being and happiness for the impending new addition to the Cheney family.

"We'll be there in a few minutes," I replied, and told the driver to take us to the hospital. Bella's emotions were similar to Rosalie's but with a little more sadness. I could see the impact her miscarriage had had on her, and wished I could have been able to do something to ease her pain. I held her hand securely as we exited the cab and entered the hospital. We saw Rosalie and Alice in the corridor and went up to them.

"How is she?" Bella asked.

"She'll be a mom in just a few short minutes," Alice said, excitedly. "Come on, she wanted to see you."

I waited outside the room as I heard Angela and Bella's muffled voices. When Bella came out, she had tears in her eyes. "She asked me to be the baby's godmother," she said, ecstatic.

I smiled at her and said, "Congratulations. How's she doing?"

"Well she's completely cut off the circulation in Ben's hand, she's been squeezing it so tight. And I think she's called him every bad word in the English dictionary till now."

Edward laughed. We waited outside for a while, talking about how much we enjoyed our time together when Ben came out, a wide grin on his face.

"It's a healthy, beautiful baby girl!" he said, ecstatic. "Angela's doing well, too. She wants to see you all."

We all congratulated him and went inside to see a tired-looking Angela holding a small pink bundle. "We've named her Andrea Rose Cheney," she said, smiling at Rosalie.

"Awww! Thanks Angie," Rosalie said, happily.

Everyone 'oooh'd' and 'ahh'd' over the baby, and a few hours later Bella and I got out of the room, exhausted. The alcohol had worn off with the help of the amount of coffee we had consumed.

"That was fun," Bella said, slipping her hand into mine.

"Yes, although I have to admit I liked the previous part of our date better. I'm not really a fan of hospitals," I said, smiling at her.

"I agree with you a 110%. Thanks for tonight, Edward, I had a really good time."

"I'm glad," I said, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Edward?," I heard a voice say, a voice I hadn't heard for years.

I turned around. "Mom?" I whispered, shocked. What was she doing here?

* * *

A/N: hehehe! seeing your mom after years and she sees you kissing your 'wife'/girlfriend. Awkward! Reviewwww!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks once again for the amazing reviews again guys. A special thanks to Gretta99 and Layla Nightshade! everyone's reviews rocked!

Sorry for the cliffie last time..i couldn't resist :P

Disclaimer: not mine. SM owns all.

_Chapter 6:_

BPOV:

I saw the beautiful woman that Edward had just called mom. She had the exact same shade of bronze hair as her son as well as the same bright emerald eyes. There were a few worry lines on her face, but other than that, her face seemed untouched by age. I assumed she was one of those people that looked youthful even when they were past their prime.

"What are you doing here mom?" Edward asked, his own brow furrowed in worry and confusion. Elizabeth sobbed once and threw herself into her son's arms. "Oh Edward I'm so happy to see you," she cried, her face covered in tears.

Edward hugged her back, his expression pained as he held on to her tightly. "I missed you, mom."

She drew back to look at his face, as if to see if his words held any real meaning. She looked satisfied and her eyes suddenly shifted to me, and she asked, "Edward, I'm afraid you haven't introduced me to this beautiful young lady."

Edward looked flustered, and said, "Mom, this is my wife, Isabella."

Oh crap! I could see the astonishment on her face as she looked between me and Edward, but it only lasted a few seconds. Then her face broke into a grin which stretched widely across her face.

"I have a daughter-in-law," she exclaimed, and proceeded to hug me just as tightly as she had Edward.

"Sorry," Edward mouthed, a guilty look on his face. I probably had the same expression on my face. Neither of us liked lying to his mother.

"It's okay," I mouthed back. She released me and I said, "It's lovely meeting you, Mrs. Cullen."

"Oh, honey, it's a pleasure meeting you, too. And call me Elizabeth. After all you're Mrs. Cullen now as well. I wish things had been different and that we'd met under better circumstances, though." She looked apologetic.

"Mom. What's going on? What are you doing at the hospital, and in Chicago no less? Have you left Napa?" Edward fired off questions at her, one after the other, without pausing to let her answer.

"Let's go sit down, dear. I'll tell you both everything." We went to sit in the hospital cafe after getting more cups of coffee.

"Your dad was having some health problems. One day he was out in the fields and he collapsed. Thank God one of the caretakers was there and called an ambulance. The doctors said he had a heart-attack. He recovered after some time, but we decided to come to Chicago because Dr. Thomas transferred here and you know how stubborn and particular your dad can be. He didn't trust any of the other cardiologists."

Edward had a horrified look on his face. "How is he now?"

"He's better. They're monitoring him carefully, but he's getting impatient. The surgery went well, so all they have to do now is make sure his pacemaker's working properly." She looked down at her hands, and when she looked back at Edward, she had a devastated expression on her face. "We're both so sorry for everything that happened Edward. We tried contacting you once you left but the University didn't have any contact information for you. They said you'd gone somewhere else..."

"Yeah, I...uh...went into a training program. I did the degree long-distance," he said, making up the lie on-the-spot.

His mother nodded and smiled at him, weakly. "Your father would love to see you," she said, and turned towards me. "And you to Isabella. We always wanted a daughter."

I smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you, Elizabeth. I would love to meet Mr. Cullen as well."

Edward had a somber expression on his face. He looked like he was about to cry. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you mom. I can't believe how selfish I was, and how hard it must have been for you to go through this with dad alone."

Elizabeth looked at Edward and shook her head. "It wasn't your fault Edward. We should have been more supportive. We were just too scared of losing another child."

I looked at Edward, confused. Lose another child? Did Edward once have a sibling he had never told me about? He gave me a look which clearly said 'I'll tell you later.' It had become extremely easy for me to understand his facial expressions now.

"Now come, let's go see your father." Elizabeth got up and we followed, throwing our empty coffee cups in the bin. We took the elevator up to the post-surgery recovery ward on the third floor and went through a maze of corridors until we finally reached the room. "He doesn't look too well honey," she warned. "It seems worse than it is so don't get scared."

Edward nodded, and we went through the open door.

EPOV:

I couldn't believe that it was my father I was looking at. I was used to seeing him strong, not so...broken. His face had more wrinkles than before and his brown hair was now streaked through with silver. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his skin had an unhealthy pallor rather than the usual tan from his time in the vines.

He was sleeping, and had several tubes connected leading from his arms to IV's. A heart monitor beeped, showing that his heart was still beating. My breath came out in a 'whoosh' as the guilt pierced through me like a thousand hot needles. How could I abandon them like that? I was the worst kind of monster for leaving them like the way I had, and with no way to contact me.

I walked up to my father's bed in a daze and touched his face with my hand. His grey eyes fluttered but didn't open. I took a step back towards Bella, and she squeezed my hand reassuringly. My mother whispered, "Go and get some rest Edward. I'll call you when he wakes up."

I shook my head. "I want to stay. I can't leave him like this."

"You won't do yourself or Isabella any good by exhausting yourself. Go home, get changed and leave your phone number with me. I'll call you in the morning."

"Mom," I began protesting, but she cut me off, giving me the glare she used to when I climbed the high trees around our house despite her telling me not to.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, you will go back to your house right now, and take care of yourself and your wife. You may come here in the morning if you like but for now, you need your rest."

I hung my head in defeat, and said, "Yes, mom."

I heard Bella giggle next to me, and I didn't miss the wink and smile my mom passed her either. We said goodbye to my mom once I had given her our home and cell phone numbers, and went back down and got a cab home. I was quiet the entire way, as was Bella. When we reached home, I collapsed on the sofa, closing my eyes and struggling to breathe normally. I felt Bella come and sit down next to me, close enough to provide comfort but far enough not to invade my personal space. "I feel like such an ass right now," I said.

"You're not," she said. "You did what anyone else in your position would have done, Edward. Please stop beating yourself up about it. It's painful to watch."

I looked at her then and she looked so sad, like she felt my pain as if it were her own. I hugged her, and said honestly, "You've made all the difference Bella. If you weren't with me today, I couldn't have handled any of that."

"Nonsense," she said, softly. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for Edward, and stop feeling guilty. I know what you're thinking. It's not your fault. Now come on, you need to get some rest. "

She pulled me off the couch, and dragged me upstairs. She stopped in front of my room and gave me a stern look. "Go sleep. I'll see you in the morning." She was about to walk away but I pulled her back by the arm gently.

"I thought it was customary to kiss your date goodnight," I said formally, watching her cheeks turn a rosy red.

"You think correctly," she said, not looking me in the eye.

I raised her chin and kissed her softly and said, "You are the most amazing person I have ever met Isabella Swan, and I know that it's not customary to say _this _on a first date, but I love you." I saw her eyes widen in shock. "I love you with every fiber of my being, and I never want to let you go."

Her cheeks blushed even redder if that were possible and she smiled widely and said, "I love you, too Edward. I never thought I could after everything that I went through, but you healed me and left me whole, like there never was a wound."

I grinned at her and hugged her again, kissing her on the forehead. She giggled, and I put her down.

"Now go sleep," she said, still smiling. "We're going to see your parents tomorrow."

"I know," I said, my happy mood sobered by the thought of my sick father in the hospital. "I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

She went to her room then, and left me to my thoughts as I tried to sleep.

After tossing and turning for hours, I gave up on sleep and went down to the kitchen, getting myself a couple of pop tarts. I turned on the T.V, munching distractedly on my late night snack. There was nothing good on so I just put on the news channel. I watched the report on the civil war in Kyrgyzstan, and felt my eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

* * *

I woke up in the morning to something brushing against my ear, tickling me. I swatted it away with my hand, wanting to get some more shut-eye. The annoying brushing continued as I pulled a cushion over my head. I heard a girly giggle and my eyes snapped open to see Bella wielding a feather in her hand and laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her face. Where in the world she got the feather was beyond me.

"You...should...have seen...your...face," she said, clutching her stomach as she chuckled uncontrollably. I got off the sofa and scowled at her.

"I like getting my full eight hours of sleep, you know."

She stopped laughing but was still grinning like a cheshire cat. "I woke you up because your mother called," she said, handing me my cell phone. "You left this upstairs. Your father's awake and he wants to meet us right away." She said the last part nervously, chewing away at her bottom lip.

"Are you nervous," I asked, smiling at her.

"No!" she said, too quickly.

"Righhhht," I said, sarcastically. Now it was her turn to look annoyed. "I'm gonna go get changed. I'll see you in a bit."

She nodded, pouting, and went to the kitchen to get her morning coffee. The amount of caffeine that girl consumed was astounding. I wondered how she could fall asleep when she had four shots of espresso a day. Well, however she is, she's the girl I fell in love with.

* * *

_A few minutes later, at the hospital:_

We were standing outside my dad's room, our hands clasped in eachothers. I knocked hesitantly. My mom opened the door and hugged us both, smiling happily. We went inside, and I still hadn't released Bella's hand as we approached my dad.

His grey eyes brightened when he saw us, and he reached his arms out to me and enveloped me in a huge hug, surprising me with his strength.

"My son," he whispered, and I could see a few tears escape from the corners of his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, dad. For everything," I said, swallowing against the lump in my throat which made it difficult to speak.

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. This one's all me," he said, releasing me. He looked at Bella and smiled. "Ah, my new daughter! Come here, princess, Elizabeth has told me so much about you."

I smiled as called Bella 'princess'; he had always said that if he ever had a daughter, he'd treat her like royalty and even I wouldn't be allowed to disrespect her in any way. Bella took a few steps towards the hospital bed and smiled at my dad nervously. "Hello, Mr. Cullen," she said. I had never seen her this nervous.

"Call me Ed, dear. Now tell me, how has my son been treating you?"

"Wonderfully," she said, smiling. "He's given me everything that I could ask for, and more. You really have raised him to be the perfect gentleman. He is living proof that chivalry is not dead."

"Well that's good to know. Tell me if he ever does bother you kiddo. I'll be sure to box his ears on your behalf."

"Yes, sir," Bella said, laughing.

I pulled up a chair for Bella and my mom and sat on the bed myself, talking to my dad. He was thinking of selling the winery and retiring. He said they had more than enough to live on and that with his health, he couldn't really run everything the way he used to. His words brought back the guilty feelings, although I knew that wasn't his intention. We spent the rest of the day catching up. Things got a little tense when they asked about my job, but I gave them the 'free-lance writer' excuse. My mom and Bella left for a while, so I could talk to my dad alone.

"Dad, I don't think you should sell the winery," I said. He looked at me in shock.

"Edward, I have to. I can't run it anymore and your mother definitely can't handle doing everything alone."

"Dad, I'll do it," I said, determinedly.

"What about your dream of joining the forces?" he asked, confusion and astonishment evident on his face.

I grimaced. "I've decided I don't want that anymore, dad," I said, honestly. "I just want to settle down with Isabella. She means everything to me and I want to give her everything in my power. She's an artist and I'm sure she'd love Napa."

"Are you sure, son? Don't you already have a life here? Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if you came home but what about Isabella? What does she want?"

"I haven't talked to her about it yet, though I will soon. I've thought about it a lot. I was thinking of coming and visiting you at home for some time now, but that's no longer necessary."

"Nothing would make your mother and I happier," he said, smiling contentedly. Just then my mom and Bella walked in, laughing.

"And then, he came home soaked to the bone, carrying his little plastic shovel and bucket and said, 'Mom! There was no treasure! There was nothing there but a dead ferret'."

"Oh no," I said, horrified. "You told her the treasure map story?" My mom nodded. "Mom, how could you!"

She laughed. "She's your wife, honey, relax. She has the right to know everything about you. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to do this earlier."

I looked at her guiltily. I knew I was lying to them, but I intended to rectify that soon. Very soon.

* * *

A/N: reviewww!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Okay guys...seems like some clarifications are needed. Edward is not going to leave Bella to run the winery...you'll see what happens as the story progresses. What kind of twilight fan would I be if I made Edward leave Bella when she had a psycho ex after her?=P

And I know im going fast...sorry about that people, but i don't like stretching stories out, that's why I make time jumps.

And keep those amazing reviews coming. PM me if you have any questions regarding the story or any suggestions:)

_Chapter 7:_

_4 weeks later:_

BPOV:

Edward Sr. and Elizabeth moved back to Napa once they got the okay from the doctor, and Edward and I were alone once more. We spent some time with Angela and Ben, playing with their little baby girl. The day his parents left, I went shopping with Alice, and by the time I came back, I felt as if I had run a marathon and breathed a sigh of relief as I fell on the sofa, my shopping bags dropping to the floor. Edward walked in the front door, smiling at my tired form. He had followed us once again, and I had to say I was impressed by his surveillance skills.

I smiled at him as he sat beside me and kissed my forehead, taking my hand in his. We had gone on dates at least twice a week and had finally taken our relationship to the next level, and I couldn't have been happier.

I turned on the TV and looked for something to watch. I settled on "Dude, where's my car?" and Edward looked at me incredulously. "Seriously?" he said, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Hey, it's a funny movie. Silly, but funny," I said.

He smiled at me indulgently, and turned back to watch the movie. By the end, he was clutching his stomach and laughing harder than I was so I assumed he actually liked it. I teased him about his lack of 'movie experience' and decided to go to the video rental store and show him all my favourites, but right now, I was going to make some headway on my painting since everyone wanted to see 'my arty skills' as Emmet called them.

I went up to the attic, which we had converted to my studio. I didn't even know we had an attic, but Edward informed we did, and it was mostly empty except for a few boxes left by the previous tenants. I had set up my easel, canvases, paints and brushes in there once I had cleaned it up a bit. Edward wasn't allowed to come up there because I didn't want any distractions, and he was not _one _of the biggest distractions, he was _the _biggest distraction.

I went to my newly set-up studio and tied my hair back in a sloppy bun. I looked at the blank canvas for several minutes, and eventually picked up my palette and squeezed out various colours and started applying them in a random, abstract pattern. I didn't notice time passing; all I was focused on was the brush in my hand and the strokes of paint that were the result of my tumultuous thoughts and emotions. I heard footsteps walking up the stairs that connected the first and second floor, but I didn't care who it was. I heard Edward's voice call out, "Bella! Come on down, I made us some lunch."

I was brought out of my thoughts by his velvety voice and put down my brush, climbing down the ladder. As soon as Edward saw me, his eyes danced with mirth and he came up to me, slipping his arms around my waist. "You really are a sight to behold, darling," he said.

"I'm sure I am," I said, sliding out of his arms deftly and going to the washroom to clean up. I gasped as I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I had paint streaked in my hair, a few strands of which had come loose from my bun, and my nose and cheeks were also smudged in a rainbow of colours. No wonder Edward looked so amused. My jeans-and-a-t-shirt outfit was so covered in paint that I knew it was a lost cause trying to get the stains out, so I just decided to keep them for my painting sessions.

I showered quickly, scrubbing my face with a washcloth to get rid of the paint. When I was fully dressed and mostly clean, I made my way downstairs where Edward was sitting in the living room, watching a soccer game, two plates with chicken fajitas in front of him as he cheered for his favourite team.

"Go, go, go! Just a few more feet... Awww dammit! That was such an easy goal!"

I laughed at his enthusiasm, sat down next to him and began eating my delicious fajita. He really was an amazing cook. Come to think of it, maybe we should open our own restaurant. I dismissed the thought. I had a sword hanging over my head constantly with the whole Jacob situation. I sighed, wondering when it would be that I could live a normal life, sans psychotic ex-boyfriends. Edward noticed my expression and turned to me concerned, putting the TV on mute. I was impressed; not many men would put the TV on mute when a game was on just because their girlfriend looked a little troubled.

"You okay?" he asked, frowning. I nodded, smiling at him. His frown deepened. "You know, I really wish I could read your thoughts sometimes. You never tell me what you're thinking."

"I do tell you Eddiekins," I said, laughing as his nose wrinkled in distaste at the name. "Now come on, let's have lunch so we can go over to Esme's. It's Adam's birthday and she's so excited."

He nodded and once we were done with lunch and Edward's game was over, we went over to Esme's house which was opposite Alice's.

She opened the door with the birthday boy perched on her hip. She hugged us both and invited us in. I put the gift I had gotten for Adam on the table with the rest of his presents and went over to Rosalie who was chatting with Jane and Angela.

"Hey, girls," I said, hugging each of them in turn. Rose and Jane looked radiant as always, while poor Angela had dark circles under her eyes and looked as if she'd fall asleep any second.

"The baby keeping you up at night?" I asked, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah," she said, rubbing her forehead. "Ben has to go to work in the morning but he still tries to help, the poor guy. It just feels as if Andrea's internal clock is set to wake me up as soon as I'm deep asleep. It's very tiring."

We made small-talk until it was time to cut the cake. For some reason I couldn't see Rosalie anywhere, but I pushed the thought out of my mind. All of us went to the dining room, where the boys were already standing around the cake. It was a blue and white cake with a car and soccer balls made on it, and had a single lit candle. Esme blew it on Adam's behalf and proceeded to hand out pieces of cake to everyone. I accidently got cake on my arm, courtesy of Felix, and went to the bathroom to clean it off. I always kept my foundation with me so I could cover up my scars and it seemed like that was a wise decision, especially for this evening.

The powder room was made so that the sink was separated from the toilet by a door. I washed off the cake, and saw the foundation rub off, revealing the long, jagged lines that were still an angry-looking red despite the passage of time. Suddenly I heard the door to the toilet open, revealing a smiling Rosalie who had a small, white stick in her hand.

"Hey, Bella," she said, grinning widely. The surprise of seeing her made me forget about my uncovered scars, as I thought the bathroom was empty. "Look," she said, showing me the white stick that had a small '+' on it. I gasped in realization and hugged her.

"Congratulations!" I said, laughing with her.

"Thanks! I can't believe it...I'm finally going to be a mom!" She took my hand in hers and we jumped around like three-year-olds. It was then that her eyes went to my arms. Her expression changed from one of excitement to one of absolute horror, which then melted into rage. She grabbed my elbow and examined my scar more closely. I tried to jerk my hand away but she had it in a death-grip. She just said one word, "Who?"

I swallowed. I knew I couldn't tell her the truth. What if it put her life in danger, too? She took my hesitation in the wrong way though, and stalked off to the dining room where everyone else was convened. She walked up to Edward and punched him square in the face.

"No!" I shouted, running up to Edward as his nose bled, staining his white shirt. His expression was shocked as he stared at Rosalie.

"What was that for?" he almost shouted, astounded by her far-from-normal, violent behaviour.

Rosalie pulled me away from Edward by the hand with amazing strength, and started shouting at him. "You bloody bastard! How could you do that to her? Scum like you shouldn't even be allowed to be _near _women, let alone married to them!"

"Rosalie, it's not what you think! Please, stop, you've got it all wrong. Edward didn't do this...it was an accident." I said. Only the last part was a lie. It wasn't an accident; Jacob never had the intention of 'not hurting' me.

Rosalie held up my arm and I heard a collective gasp from everyone around us as my scars were made prominent by the light and lack of foundation."You're a rotten liar, Bella. I know what caused these scars. I've seen scars like them before. I used to have them," Rose said, her eyes blazing. "Don't you even dare try to defend him. He doesn't control you. _You're a strong, independent woman_." (AN: movie quote:))

"Edward didn't do this Rose. I admit someone did, but it wasn't him," I said, sighing and shaking my head. I had to give them part of the truth, if not all of it.

"Bella," Edward said softly, looking at me, his eyes shining with concern despite the fact that he was the one who got punched. "Why don't you go home. I'll explain everything here."

I shook my head. "It's fine Edward. I'm okay." I took a deep breath and looked at Rosalie, whose expression still looked murderous. "Before I met Edward, I had a boyfriend. He was okay at first, but after a tragedy in his family, he started getting exceedingly violent. Edward here stepped in and saved him from me. That's it. End of story."

Everyone looked at me in disbelief, especially Rosalie. "There's more to it," she concluded.

"There is," I said, swallowing against the lump the size of a grapefruit growing in my throat. "But none of it has to do with Edward, and I'm sorry but I can't discuss it. I know you all care about me but there are some things that are better left unsaid."

I felt Edward's arms wrap around me reassuringly. He looked at everyone else and said, "Bella's said what she had to. I'm sorry but we have to go back home now. Thank you for everything Esme."

He took my hand and we started walking towards the front door. My tears were clouding my eyes so I didn't see Rosalie come up to us.

"I'm sorry, Edward," she said.

Edward nodded, and smiled stiffly. "Don't worry about it." I'd noticed he wasn't gracious to anyone who caused me even the slightest bit of discomfort.

She turned to me, then. "Bella, I'm so sorry. I just lost it back there. I'm sorry you had to relive your bad memories because of me. I...I know how hard that can be," she said, tears forming in her blue eyes as well.

I hugged her, and said, "It's ok. Congratulations once again. You should go tell Emmet soon; I'm sure he'll be ecstatic." She nodded, giving me a watery smile, and I walked out the door with Edward holding my hand.

We went back home and I sat on the couch with him by my side. "Are you okay?" I asked. His nose was bruised but the bleeding had stopped. A bruise was also forming under his left eye.

"I'm fine, Bella. I've had alot worse, trust me." He smiled his crooked smile and in that instant, even with his face all bruised up and with blood on his shirt, he still seemed like the most beautiful person in existence to me.

* * *

I woke up the next morning and continued working on my painting, channeling all my energy into it as Edward dealt with the fiasco that happened yesterday. He was on the phone all day with his superiors at headquarters, as they discussed whether they should move us. I was exhausted with all the drama and just wanted to curl up in bed all day with Edward, eating junk food and talking about inconsequential things. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen.

"Bella!" I heard Edward shout from directly underneath the attic, shocking me and causing my brush to slip from my hands and clatter to the floor. I practically ran down the ladder and saw Edward furiously putting clothes in a small black bag. He had his gun in a black holster around his grey button-down shirt which would have alerted me to the fact that something was up even if I hadn't seen his expression.

"Edward, what's going on?" I asked, astounded by the enraged look on his face. It softened slightly as he looked at me, but I could tell something was terribly, horribly wrong.

My eyes were wide as Edward zipped up the bag and said, "He escaped."

"What?" I knew who he meant, I just didn't want to believe it. My head started spinning and my breathing became more and more laboured.

"That mongrel Black escaped from prison," he said, walking towards me and taking me downstairs by the hand. "He got some guards on the inside on his payroll. Some guy called Embry Call, a friend of his, got the money to the guard and he engineered his escape. Pathetic!" he spat, his face contorted by rage. "The highest security facility in all of the U.S. and it can't even hold a guy in for more than two months!"

"Edward." My voice was such that he stopped picking up stuff and turned towards me. "Is he coming here?"

"They caught him on a security tape at a gas station," he said. "He was on the highway that leads here."

That was the last thing I heard as the darkness enveloped me.

* * *

A/N: next chapter, you get to see dark edward:) reviewwww!


	8. AN

_Author's note_

Hello everyone. I jus wanted to get your feedback on which story I should write after this like I did last time:)

and people please vote on the poll...coz that's what im gonna go on. Two of the summaries are from last time.

Here are the summaries:

1) _The Brothers Cullen_ -Edward and Emmet are the Cullen brothers, the most infamous con-men in America. Edward is tired of living this way and wants out, especially when he meets Bella, his soulmate. He agrees to one last con with Emmet, and Bella wants to be a part of it. AH

2) _To kill or not to kill-_ Edward is a drug-lord and also a very highly-placed mafia member that controls the drug-trade in a very large city. He has to kill bella for witnessing a murder he committed. But she's not at all what he expected.

3) _Fatal attraction-_ _Based on the song, 'She will be loved' by Maroon 5(NOT A SONGFIC) and the movie 'Revenge' with a little bit of 'Lord of War.'_ Bella is married to Jacob, a weapon-lord. His former employee and the few people he trusts. Edward is a very loyal friend, but will that account for anything when he gets to know Bella? A story of forbidden love.

All stories will be rated T and will be All-Human. If you have any suggestions, please PM me.

Vote on the poll!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews everyone. by the way, about _Fatal Attraction_ I've decided to create my own character for Bella's husband beacuse Jacob doesn't fit the role.

Vote on the poll guys...it's on my profile.

Gretta99: Here's an insight into jacob's mind and u can also see some of bella's doubts here. Hope u like it:)

So here it is! Reviewwww!

_Chapter 8:_

BPOV:

"Bella! Oh God, Bella please wake up," I heard Edward's frantic voice calling my name as if from the end of a long tunnel. I felt him sit beside me on what I assumed was the living room sofa, as I struggled to regain control over my body. I opened my eyes and looked into Edward's worried eyes.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"Don't apologize, sweetheart," he said, stroking my face with the back of his hand. "Now come on, we have to get out of here." He helped me get up and we walked to the car quickly, got in and zoomed out. I saw Alice's worried looking face as she saw us speed by. I waved at her and gave her an approximation of a smile, but I didn't know if she saw it or not. Edward's expression was furious as we drove well above the speed-limit.

He looked at me when he noticed I was staring and tried to smile. "Are you okay, Bella?"

"I'm fine, Edward. Please don't worry about me."

"How can I not? I swear when I catch that poor excuse of a man, he will wish he'd never been born," he said, his face contorted into the most violent expression I had ever seen on his angelic face. "I will make sure that he never as much as looks at you again, Bella."

Suddenly, I was afraid of him. I couldn't stop the terror that trickled down my spine, causing fiery tendrils of icy fear to spread through my body as I struggled to keep myself from opening the door and running. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. _This is Edward, _I kept on chanting in my head, _not Jacob. This is __my__ Edward. He won't hurt me. _

Edward realized how scared I was, but what he didn't realize was that it was him I was scared of. He reached out his hand to comfort me, but I flinched away involuntarily. His face crumpled in pain and hurt.

"I'm sorry," he said, softly. "I didn't mean to scare you, love."

I shook my head, unable to form the words that I wanted to say to reassure him. My heart felt as if it was breaking into a million tiny pieces as I saw the rejection Edward felt. Tears gathered in my eyes and I broke down, sobbing; for his pain, for my pain, and most of all, for the pain Jacob was putting us both through.

Edward looked at me, astonished. I had never cried so hysterically; I couldn't breathe as I gasped in lungfulls of air, but the obstruction in my throat prevented any oxygen from going in. I was blacking out again, but Edward stopped the car, got out of his seat and ran over to the passenger side, pulling me into his arms. I didn't shy away from him this time, and his arms provided the comfort I needed as I cried into his shirt.

Third person POV:

A man in an orange jumpsuit got out of the truck, walking towards another guy dressed in a beige linen suit and a white shirt. Normally, a person would think the convict was the inferior between the two, but that was far from the case.

"Mr. Black!" the latter greeted the former, respectfully.

"Do you have any clothes for me, Sam?" the prisoner asked coldly. "I'm not a fan of orange."

"Yes, sir. Please come inside, Emily has a room prepared for you," Sam said, fumbling with the door handle of the small cottage that they were using as a safehouse.

"We don't have time for anything else. Just let me get changed and we're out of here. Have you found out where she is?" Black said, giving the other man a menacing look. He knew what the consequences would be if he didn't have the information, but Black didn't want to lose one of his employees at such a crucial time.

"Paul is getting the info now, sir," he said, handing him a pair of dark-wash jeans and a black t-shirt. "He hacked into the CIA database a few days ago, but apparently they've kept Bella's location top secret. He's gone over to HQ to get the info out of our mole. He has also bugged Callaway's office. Sooner or later, we'll get her location."

Jacob Black was furious. He didn't want to be a sitting duck while the entire country was looking for him, and here he was being told that they didn't have the location of the person they were supposed to be tracking for two months now? He took out his gun and pointed it at Sam's head.

"I want that info, Sam, and if I don't have it within the next hour, you can watch while I torture and kill your wife and newborn," he sneered. A horrified look crossed Sam's face, but he composed himself.

"Yes, sir. I'll get on it," he said, a determined look on his face.

"Good," Jacob said, lowering his gun. "You know I expect the best service from my employees, Sam. Don't delude yourself into thinking that you aren't expendable."

Sam nodded solemnly as Jacob went to his room, took a shower in the en suite bathroom and got changed. Jacob came out, fully dressed with two guns -one in his hand and the other in the waistband of his jeans- and a knife he had slipped into his shoe.

"Sir," Sam said, excitedly. "They found her. She's living in Chicago as Isabella Cullen, the wife of Edward Cullen who is apparently an undercover CIA agent."

The excitement on Sam's face fell however, as he saw the enraged form of his employer. Jacob's fists were clenched in absolute anger and his nostrils were flared. How dare Bella pose as someone's wife. She was _his _girlfriend! He growled in anger and stalked out of the house with Sam on his heels.

"Put the location on the GPS," he said, shoving a small black device into Sam's hands. A car containing three more men stopped beside them.

"Paul, Embry, Quil," Jacob said, nodding at them as they exited the silver Chevy. "Follow me with Sam."

"Uhmm, sir," Paul said, hesitantly. "We'll have to fly to Chicago. It's too far from here to get there in time."

"Then we'll have to take the jet," Jacob said, getting more infuriated by the minute. "Now follow me to the airstrip."

Jacob went into a Dodge Charger that his father had given him as a present before he died, and started driving. He was growing impatient, and put on some loud rock music to distract himself. Eventually, they reached the private airstrip that had the sleek black jet which would take them to Chicago.

"Have cars waiting for us there," Jacob commanded as he got out of his car, throwing his keys at Paul.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bella and Edward kept on driving towards from town to town, only stopping for gas on the way. Bella had calmed down and was holding one of Edward's hands as he steered the car with the other. She felt incredibly guilty for being scared by him, but she still couldn't completely suppress her feelings. After driving for eight hours straight, they stopped at a small inn and booked a room there under a pseudonym. Edward was as tired as Bella was, probably even more, but he knew he had to have his wits about him.

The couple went into their room and Edward locked the door securely. He put their bag on the bed and took out his cell-phone to call headquarters, while Bella went to the washroom.

"How did he know we were in Chicago?" Edward asked in a flat voice. He was talking to his superior, but he didn't care if his tone was disrespectful.

Callaway sighed tiredly and said, "We don't know. No-one wants to think there's a mole, but it's the most logical solution. There was a hacking attempt in the agency database yesterday but it was firewalled by the new security system."

"Any idea where he is now?" Edward asked. His patience was wearing thin, and he thought that if Bella wasn't with him, he would have gone to confront Jacob himself, and wouldn't have rested until he killed him. But he couldn't think of a safe place to leave Bella, and in the state she was in, he doubted if she could mentally handle being left alone right now.

"His car was found parked on a private airstrip. My guess is that he took the Black's jet to Chicago. With the money and resources that he has, Cullen, he could go anywhere, do anything his heart desired. Get Miss. Swan as far away from Chicago as possible. Take her anywhere you think is safe."

Suddenly, an idea popped into Edward's head. "I know where to take her. I need two tickets to California."

"Leave for the airport in the morning. I'll have a jet waiting there for you."

"Thank you, sir," Edward said, gratefully. "Please make sure that no-one except yourself and the pilot know about our destination. If there's a mole in the agency, then no information is safe."

"Of course, Cullen. Now go take care of Miss. Swan," he said, knowingly. "I'm sure she's rather distraught at the moment."

"Yes, sir. Thank You." Edward hung up as Bella came out of the washroom, her hair damp and her eyes red. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep. Edward knew she needed her space right now, so he sat on one of the chairs, and took out his laptop. Before leaving, he had set up a few discrete security cameras in the house, hidden in various places, and he could see the footage live on his computer. As soon as he turned it on, he saw Jacob entering the house, gun drawn, with four of his cronies behind him. All were armed.

Edward kept watching as they went around knocking over their furniture. It seemed like Jacob finally determined that the house was empty and he stalked out angrily, trashing a few of their belongings on the way.

What Edward did not see though, were his neighbours that were congregated at Alice's house, discussing what had happened to the Cullens. Alice had seen them leave and despite their lack of luggage, she knew they were gone for good. She had also noticed Edward's furious expression and Bella's terrified one.

"I think it has something to do with the ex-boyfriend," Rosalie said, worriedly.

"I agree," Alice said. "And I don't think Edward's a writer either. Have you ever seen a writer who's as fit as he is? They're usually all fatties"

Jasper gave her a disapproving look but she just stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

"Hey, I got an idea!" Felix said. "Why don't we google them?"

Everyone gave him an incredulous look. "What?" he said, looking slightly offended. "It's as good an idea as any, and I don't see any of you brainiacs coming up with anything."

"Knock yourself out," Jasper said, pointing to the laptop. Felix got up and typed in Isabella Cullen, but that came up blank.

"Do you guys know what Isabella's maiden name was?" Felix asked. They all shook their head.

"Let me try something, Felix," Ben said, handing over the sleeping baby to Angela.

Ben sat at the laptop and began typing furiously. After a few long minutes, a moment that should have been recorded in history took place; Ben Cheney swore.

"Did he just say...?" Emmet asked, looking at Ben, shocked. Rosalie nodded, her own eyes wide.

"Guys, you should see this," Ben said, turning the laptop towards everyone. On the screen was a picture of Jacob and Bella, hugging and laughing. It looked like it was a picture one of their friends had taken and put up on his MySpace page. Ben opened another window, which had the article about the infamous drug-lord, Jacob Black getting arrested due to his girlfriend testifying against him. They hadn't given the girlfriend's name, but everyone put two-and-two together.

"Crap!" Emmet exclaimed. "She was a drug-lord's girlfriend?"

"Here's the reason they left," Ben said, pointing at an article that reported Black's escape.

"Do you think he'll come here," Angela said, looking at her little baby anxiously.

"I think they already have," Jane said, peeking through the curtain covering the window. Felix pulled her aside, afraid that the thugs might see her. "Stay here," he said, turning off the lights in the house, and then assuming Jane's previous position by the window.

"You're right," he said. "That's Jacob Black alright." He watched as the two cars drove away, and turned the lights back on.

"What should we do?" Esme spoke up. "Edward and Isabella are already gone, so they must have know he was coming, but how can we help them?"

"I don't think there is anything we can do," Carlisle said. "My guess is that Edward is probably the one in charge of protecting Isabella, and as the article says, the CIA handled the investigation. So, Edward's a CIA agent, while Bella is the ex-girlfriend of the king-pin of drugs. What a mess!"

"I hope they're both okay," Alice said, tears in her eyes.

* * *

Bella and Edward took their flight to California early the next morning. The plane that Callaway had arranged for them was a top-of-the-line jet that got them to their sunny destination in record time. They took the car that the agency had provided and drove to Napa Valley. The two had hardly spoken three words to eachother since last night, and Edward's nerves were stretched thin.

"Will you _please_ say something, Bella," he said, sighing. "The silence is killing me."

She didn't look at him as she spoke. "What do you want me to say Edward? That I'm scared as hell right now? That I'm so afraid something's going to happen to you and I'm going to lose you forever that I can barely breathe?" Her voice broke at the last part and Edward looked at her in astonishment.

"You're not seriously worried about me, are you?" he said.

"Of course I am. How could I not be when I love you so much."

"Bella, nothing's going to happen to me. Please, stop worrying. The agency's sent over people after Jacob and chances are he won't even get anywhere near us. He has no idea where we're going."

Bella shook her head. She knew how Jacob was; if he wanted something, he got it. She had never seen any instance in which he didn't come out with the upper hand. She had believed that maybe turning him in had been a rare defeat for him, but now she once again felt that he was invincible. All she knew was that the consequences of her actions were going to be severe. The question was, who would pay the price? Her, or Edward?

* * *

AN: REVIEWWW!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: thank you for all the reviews guys..most of your questions will be answered in this chapter. There is some slightly graphic abuse in this chapter, so people who are sensitive to those kind of things, be warned!

And sorry for the slight crossover with the Mentalist...it was just really convenient. As for those of you who do like the mentalist, enjoy :)

_Chapter 9:_

Third person POV:

Elizabeth and Edward Sr. were ecstatic about the surprise visit by their son and daughter-in-law. They welcomed them with open arms and gave them Edward's old room to stay in. Edward was currently in said room, speaking to Callaway, while Bella was downstairs with his mom in the kitchen, helping her with lunch.

"The troops got there as soon as Black left," Callaway said.

"It seems like the agency's missing too much these days, sir," Edward said. He had an idea who the mole was, but if his assumptions were correct, then it wouldn't be safe to talk about this over the phone.

"I agree, Cullen. I'll talk to you later, alright? I have to tell my wife I'll be late for dinner, although I do feel like skipping it. Her pot roast isn't exactly her greatest accomplishment." This was the code between them to call eachother from secure lines. In Edward's case, that meant a payphone, while in his boss's case it meant his untraceable cell.

"Of course, sir. By the way, her pot roast isn't that bad. Maybe you should give it a chance." That was their code for 'Call me ASAP.'

"Goodbye, Cullen," Callaway sighed.

"Goodbye, sir." Edward grabbed his gun and holster and was on his way out of the house when Bella came up to him.

"Where are you going, Edward?" she asked, anxiously. She couldn't help but feel worried about him since he had such a focused expression on his face that is scared her.

He smiled, trying to look reassuring and said, "I just have to talk to my boss from a payphone. You go rest, Bella, you look tired."

He kissed her lightly on the lips, but when she didn't respond, he shook his head dejectedly and went out into the evening, looking for a payphone. He found one about seven blocks from the house, and called Callaway on his private number. He picked up on the first ring.

"Who do you think it is?" Callaway asked, not bothering with the usual pleasantries.

Edward sighed. "I don't _think_, I _know_. It's Benson." Benson used to be one of the best agents the agency had, but after an injury on the job, he was put on desk-duty. It was common knowledge that he resented the agency for this, and he had turned from a happy-go-lucky kind of guy to an embittered narcissist. He had received a promotion however, due to some friends in high places, and now had access to all of the CIA's resources.

"My thoughts exactly," Callaway said, rubbing his forehead. "I'll find out whatever I can here, Cullen. Benson won't go down without a fight and I need hard evidence. I need to find out if it was him who gave the order to the troops to stand-by instead of going to Chicago earlier."

"Okay, meanwhile I'm going to stay here for a few days," Edward said, leaning against the phonebooth. "I'll call you when we move to another location." He hung up and made his way back home slowly, his thoughts consumed by Bella. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't worried about her. Their relationship had been extremely strained since Jacob's escape, and Edward could tell that Bella's abusive past was making her more wary of him than usual. He knew how much he loved her, and he knew that he would do whatever was in his power to protect her, but what if that wasn't enough? Most importantly, what if Bella didn't want him anymore?

He tried to stop the direction his thoughts were taking and concentrated on his way back to the house.

* * *

While Edward had been talking to his boss however, a small black van (AN: cliche, I know!) had stopped outside the Cullen residence. Five men stepped out, carrying various weapons-from knives to revolvers and machine guns. They broke open the front door, revealing Bella and the Cullens sitting in the living room. Bella's head whipped away from the TV as she heard the loud bang, her eyes filled with terror. She knew Jacob was here for her.

"Hello, Bells," he said, a cruel smile on his face. He had a long black gun in his hand, with what looked like a silencer attached to the front.

"Who are you?" Edward Sr. asked Jacob.

"Someone you don't want to get to know, Mr. Cullen," Jacob sneered, pointing his gun at him while walking to Bella, and grabbing her by the arm roughly. "And it seems you've been busy after putting me in prison, babe. Fraternizing with CIA agents...tsk, tsk, tsk. Where is your 'husband' now when you need protection?"

The Cullens looked at Bella questioningly. Jacob noticed and roared with laughter. "You didn't know your son was in the CIA? Wow, that's rich! Doesn't matter either way, you're all going to be dead in a few short minutes."

"No!" Bella shouted. "Please leave them alone. They don't have anything to do with this! It's me you want, take me!"

Jacob looked at her thoughtfully for a minute, and then motioned to his fellow gunmen to lower their weapons. "I've got a better idea. Tie them up and put them in the van," he said, and pulled Bella out of the house with him.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked, scared out of her wits for the Cullen's safety.

"I'm going to punish your little boyfriend for taking an interest in my property," he said, referring to Bella. "I'm going to make sure he regrets coming near you, but most of all, I want to see his pain as I kill his parents, and then your pain when I kill him in front of you."

Bella begged and pleaded with him, but he just knocked her out using the butt of his handgun, and shoved her in the back of the van with his two other prisoners. He saw Edward walking towards the house, and jumped in the van as Edward took out his handgun and started shooting at the convict.

* * *

Edward was in shock as he saw the van drive away and quickly noted the number plate, running into the house, he screamed Bella's name although he knew she wasn't there. He grabbed his father's keys and his cell phone and ran down to the garage. His father had invested in a black Ferrari F430 a while ago and Edward knew it was the fastest method of getting to Bella and his parents. He was sure his dad won't mind if the car was being used to try and save his life. Edward called Callaway from his cell as he drove along the straight road, in the same direction as the black van.

"What now, Cullen?" Callaway said in an exasperated voice.

"He has Bella and my parents," Edward all but shouted. He heard Callaway curse loudly on the other side. "I'm trying to follow them but just in case I can't find them, inform all the squad cars of this number plate," Edward said, and recited the license number of the van. "It's a black Ford van."

"I'll get on it Edward, and I'll send in reinforcements. The CBI are really good and they can help out as well."

Edward agreed and hung up, quickly scanning around for the van. The damn thing was nowhere in sight. In the few minutes it had taken him to get the car out, it had disappeared.

He swore loudly but kept on driving...

* * *

Bella was slowly regaining consciousness, and could tell that she was lying on a stone floor. She was shivering from the icy temperature in the room and as she opened her eyes, she saw that she was not alone. Her stomach clenched in fear as she saw the tall form of her ex-boyfriend talking on his cell phone angrily.

"How the hell did they find out?" he said, his fist clenched. "No-one knew he was our man in the agency! I want a name dammit! Tell me, who came up with this shit? I have both the CBI and the CIA on my ass now!"

He was silent for a moment, and then his lip curled back over his teeth and he growled in rage. "I'm gonna kill him! Who the hell does he think is! First he gets my girlfriend and now he's gotten rid of my mole!" Bella realized who he was talking about and the bile rose in her throat. _Oh God, _she thought, _he's going to hurt Edward! I can't let that happen..._

Jacob shut his cell phone and turned around. When he saw that Bella was awake, his expression shifted from one of fury to one of vindictive satisfaction.

"Your boyfriend's created more problems for me than I need, Bella," he said, crouching down to her eye-level. "Rest assured, he will pay for that." Bella started at him in terror as he punched in a number and pressed 'send'.

"Hello, Agent Cullen," he said. Bella's eyes widened in fear. "I have something of yours here. If you want her, meet me at the Falcon warehouse on Norton street, tomorrow at noon."

Bella heard Edward's voice over the phone as he cursed loudly at Jacob, but Jacob just said, "Come alone Cullen. If I see a single sniper, she's dead, along with your parents."

Jacob hung up again and looked at Bella with the most terrible expression on his face. She wanted to punch him, kick him and even kill him for threatening Edward, but her hands and feet were bound by a thick rope. She knew things between her and Edward were a bit strained, but that didn't mean that she loved him any less. It was just the fear that Jacob had instilled in her that was causing her to react this way.

"Why do you want him?" she whispered. "You wanted me and you have me. I was the one who got you in prison, anyway. Leave him and his parents alone. I'll even ask him to drop the charges against you somehow."

Her pleading had only one effect on Jacob; he became even angrier, if that were possible. He backhanded her across the face, causing her forehead to hit the stone wall and blood to run down her face. Bella tried getting up, but Jacob grabbed her head and slammed it into the wall again, causing her vision to go blurry for a few seconds, and said, "Let's see how your boyfriend likes it when he sees your ugly face now."

He left the room then, leaving a sobbing Bella on the floor, her face covered in blood and new bruises. She felt hopelessness tugging at her, drowning her in a sea of despair as she thought of Edward getting hurt because of her. Her nightmare was coming true.

All Jacob could think of was revenge. Revenge from Edward Cullen for touching _his _Bella. He had sworn that he would never let Bella find happiness after what she had done to him. After his father died, he had to take over the family business and nothing could have made him prouder. Then this stupid, insignificant girl had taken all his dreams of being the most feared gangster in the country away from him, by sending him to prison. _Now she will suffer,_ he vowed to himself, _and I'm going to use her feelings for Cullen and his family to make sure she never smiles again._ He didn't intend to kill Bella. He had decided that he wanted her to live in guilt and misery as he killed all three of the Cullens in front of her. He smirked; this was going to be the most fun he had in a very long time and after this incident, everyone would know not to mess with Jacob Black.

* * *

Edward was pacing back and forth in the CBI headquarters. His head was buzzing with the information that Jacob had given him. He knew where he was, but if he made a single move, Jacob would surely kill Bella and his parents. He felt like such an idiot for dragging his parents into this, but he never thought that Jacob would be able to find out their location. Once Benson was apprehended, the CIA had swept the place for bugs and had found one in Callaway's office, which explained how Jacob found their home in Napa. All Edward wanted to do now was go straight to the warehouse and rip Jacob apart limb from limb. But he couldn't act so impulsively now; this time, it wasn't just his life on the line.

"Agent Cullen," a voice called. He turned around to see a small brunette woman, who extended her hand to shake his. "I'm Agent Lisbon. My team and I have been assigned to help you with this case."

"Thanks," he said, releasing her hand. "Got any brilliant ideas?"

She smiled at that. "I don't, but my colleague, Mr. Patrick Jane does."

"Oh," he said. "Well, I'm desperate, so let's hear it."

"You go in, distract Black," a man with wavy blonde hair and a lopsided smile said, walking up to him. "Meanwhile, a few of our agents will take out Sam Uley, Embry Call, Quil Ateara and Paul Blaze. Agents Rigsby, Cho and Van Pelt will rescue your parents and Miss. Swan."

"Won't that be too risky?" Edward asked. "What if Black notices and kills Bella or my parents?"

Patrick gave Edward a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Edward, from what I can tell about Jacob, he's focused on revenge. You're his main target now, while Bella and your parents are just a means to what he thinks will be your end. His entire being will be focused on you. My guess is that he won't kill Bella; he'll want her to suffer by killing you. In his eyes, you touched what he thinks of as his property, and he won't stand for that."

"I don't have any other choice," Edward said, shaking his head. "We'll have to do it this way. I can't fight off five fully grown, armed men while trying to make sure my loved ones don't get hurt. I'm in."

Agent Lisbon nodded, and went off to make arrangements, while Patrick chatted with Edward, trying to distract him from his worrisome thoughts.

Eventually, after several gruelling hours, the entire team was assembled and were on their way to the warehouse. They had studied the blueprints and had discovered several entrances that they were going to use. Edward was tense, but was in fighting-mode. His job was distracting Jacob, and with Patrick's help, he had decided what his method would be. He parked his car at the main entrance of the warehouse, and went in. He had a wire on him as well as a gun and several knives; all were hidden. The scene that appeared in front of Edward was one that he would never forget for as long as he lived.

Jacob was standing with a gun pointed at a bruised and battered Bella, while his friends stood with guns pointed at his parents, who were unharmed.

"Hello, Cullen," Jacob said, sneering at him. "Miss your little 'wifey'?"

Edward growled at him. In his peripheral vision, he saw the SWAT team entering from one of the side-doors. "It's not her that I missed," Edward lied, easily. "I really couldn't care any less what happened to her; I was just doing my job. But seeing as I've failed, I'm going to be fired, thanks to you."

"Liar," Jacob roared, his voice echoing all around him."I can see she cares for you. She always was so easily manipulated." Luckily, he had his back to his henchmen and didn't see as the fell to the ground, the silent bullets piercing their head. The SWAT team caught them before they hit the floor, laying them gently on the floor. Agents Rigsby, Cho and Van Pelt took the Cullens away to safety. Now it was up to Edward to save Bella.

"Even if she has deluded herself into thinking that I love her, what benefit can you derive from it?" Edward said, playing his part perfectly. Bella had tears in her eyes, but other than that she was trying to be strong. She didn't know it was all an act, and inside she felt like someone was tearing her heart into shreds with a jagged knife.

"But she still loves you, " Jacob said, raising his gun towards Edward. "So she will feel pain over you dying, won't she? I would have said 'Nice knowing you,' but then I'd be lying."

"No!" Bella screamed, and tore away from Jacob's arms, pushing him with all her might as she stood between him and Edward. Jacob staggered from the unexpected move. The next thing she heard was a gunshot ringing through the air.

* * *

A/N: Whew! that was one hard chapter to write! don't kill me for the cliffie:P

Reviewwww!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Woah! So many amazing reviews! Thanks everyone...totally made my day!

Now I need everyone's feedback for the next story i'm gonna write.I want to have some things figured out for it beforehand. Soo, I need ideas on what would make a person completely unafraid of death. I do have one idea, but I wanted to know what you all thought.

Please review! or PM me, and vote on my poll .(It's on my profile)

_Chapter 10_:

BPOV

I don't know what happened; what made Edward pull out his gun so swiftly, what made him pull the trigger before Jacob had the chance to pull his. All I saw was Edward pull out a gun which was strapped to his ankle, hidden by his jeans, just as Jacob raised his gun towards me. I saw as the bullet from Edward's gun pierced Jacob's skull, causing his hands to go limp and his blood to spread out from his head onto the grey floor. Jacob's eyes were glazed over, as he died right there in front of me. I forced my eyes away from his lifeless figure and looked at Edward, who had a blank look on his face.

I shuddered as I saw how cold his eyes were. The usual warm green orbs were now dark emerald shards, but as soon as his eyes met mine, they melted and filled with concern. He put his gun on the floor and walked towards me, holding up his hands to show me they were empty. That made me feel a bit better, but I couldn't unlock my frozen muscles to respond.

"Bella," he whispered softly, walking towards me at a slow pace, assessing my reaction. "I'm not going to hurt you, love. Okay? I'm here to protect you. I'm going to take you home, alright?"

I nodded, tears were starting to stream down my face as I fell to my knees. Edward rushed forward before I could have a full out panic attack, and embraced me in his strong arms. The same arms whose muscles had pulled the trigger that had ended someone's life. I didn't have the strength to pull away from him though, despite my instincts screaming at me to get up and run.

I saw people entering the warehouse, some dressed in suits, others in SWAT uniforms, but I didn't pay attention to them. I just cried, even though I didn't know why. I wasn't sad that Jacob was dead; infact I was relieved that he'd never be able to harm anyone again, but I couldn't stop my irrational response which was, quite frankly, scaring Edward more than gun-wielding criminals. And he had saved my life after all.

"Shhh...Bella, it's okay...It's over. Please stop crying," he pleaded over and over again, but I was beyond reason. A small woman with a police badge around her neck, and a paramedic came over to where Edward and I were.

"Cullen, she needs to be looked over by a doctor," she said.

"I'm not letting her go alone, Lisbon. She's terrified," he said, stroking my hair. I was finally able to stop sobbing and slowly pulled away from Edward. I got back up on my feet, and walked over to the paramedic. I didn't look back at Edward, because I knew that I'd see the pain that my actions had caused, and I felt guilty as hell for it. I just needed a little time...and maybe a helping hand.

I was driven to the hospital in an ambulance with Agent Lisbon and a blonde-haired man whose name I didn't know. He kept on smiling at me sweetly and I instantly felt better with him. Once we reached the hospital, the nurses put me in a private room until the doctor could see me. Agent Lisbon and Mr. Perpetually-Smiling were waiting outside. I laid my head back on the pillow, exhausted, and settled into an uneasy sleep. I dreamt that I was standing at the edge of a cliff. I knew that if I took a single step forward, that I would plummet into the dark abyss before me, and that my only option was to go back. I looked behind me to see Edward standing with his hand reached out towards me.

"Please come back, Bella," he said, his face contorted in pain. "I can't live without you. I love you and I won't hurt you, I swear."

I knew he was saying the truth, but I was afraid. How could I be more afraid of him than of the dark chasm that I knew nothing of? I made my decision then after a few moments of hesitation, but as soon as I reached my hand towards Edward, the ground beneath my feet started crumbling, and I kept on falling as I screamed.

I shot out of bed, sweating and screaming at the top of my lungs. The two agents and a doctor in a white coat burst into the room looking around for the source of my fear. They relaxed when they found none, and the grey-haired woman, who I assumed was my doctor, came into the room while the other two left.

"Miss Swan, I'm Dr. May Clarke," she said, smiling at me. "Now I understand that you've been through quite an ordeal, so I need to make sure that all your vital organs are functioning normally." I nodded at her, showing her that I understood.

The next hour was brutal, as she poked and prodded me and asked me questions about things that I'd rather not remember. After extracting a vial of blood, stitching, cleaning and bandaging my head in two places, she was finally done. I thanked her and she left. I felt the pain meds that she had given me take affect, and I fell asleep into a deep, drug-induced state of unconsciousness.

* * *

The next day, the other, blonde agent came to talk to me. It was lunch-time for the patients at the hospital, and I was picking at the tasteless food with my fork when he peeked his head in through the partially open door, and said, "Knock, knock. Mind if I come in?"

"Not at all," I replied. "Agent Lisbon's already questioned me if that's what you're here for."

He shook his head, smiling at me. "I didn't come here to do that; that's not my job. I'm not an agent, I'm just a consultant for the bureau. My name is Patrick Jane, by the way."

"Oh," I said, unable to tell where he was going with this.

"I came to talk to you, off the record," he said, taking a seat beside me.

"What about?"

"About your relationship with Edward," he said, his tone a little more serious. "Look, I know it's not any of my business, but I tend to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. The thing is, I know love when I see it, and I know hesitance, too. I know you're pushing him away because of your past, but he doesn't deserve that. You love him, despite your reservations about his slightly violent nature, and he loves you more than you could ever know. I saw how he comforted you after everything, and I'm sure that you should give him a chance to prove himself to you."

"I know I love him and that he loves me as well, but what am I supposed to do? I felt like things between Edward and I went too fast, and what if I made a mistake by being with him? What if he turns out to be like Jacob?" I choked out.

Patrick reached out and touched my hand with his, looking me straight in the eye as if he was trying to convey a very important message. "Bella, listen to me carefully. Edward won't hurt you, because one, he's not Jacob. Two, he's an agent who has a moral compass which points due north,and three, I don't think he's even capable of hurting you because he loves you so very much. He saved your life, didn't he?"

He waited as that sunk in, not saying anything else. I was lost in my own thoughts. I was remembering my dream. Was my subconscious trying to tell me that I shouldn't hesitate while picking Edward, and that if I took too long, everything would be lost?

"You're right," I said after a full five minutes of silent contemplation. "I'm being silly and if I lose Edward, I'd never be able to forgive myself." I smiled at Mr. Jane as he grinned at me like a big brother who had finally accomplished making his little sister's life easier. "But why are you helping me, anyway?"

"Let's just say I know what it's like to lose someone you love," he said, his eyes sad. I automatically felt the need to comfort him, but at that moment, the door opened again. Dr. Clarke came in, giving Mr. Jane a look that clearly said, "Get out."

Jane gave her a bright smile and bent down to shake my hand, whispering "Good Luck" in my ear. I nodded, thanked him, and then he left.

"Miss. Swan," Dr. Clarke said, solemnly. "I got your lab results back, and I'm afraid I have some unexpected news."

I looked at her, waiting for her to continue but we were interrupted by Edward walking into the room after knocking lightly. If I hadn't been so glad to see him, I would have been annoyed by the constant influx of people in my room. I smiled at him shyly, causing his wary expression to turn into one of delight. He walked to me, kissing me lightly on the forehead, and occupied the seat that had previously accommodated Mr. Jane.

Dr. Clarke looked at me questioningly. "It's okay," I said, "You can say whatever you need to in front of him."

She nodded, and said, "There are some routine tests that we do whenever we test someone's blood, as there are some medications and medical procedures that may risk a patient's health if they have a certain condition."

Edward was now looking at the doctor, fear clear in his eyes. I knew that if our roles were reversed, I would be acting the same way; neither one of us could see the other in pain.

"Pregnancy tests are included in those," she said. I froze, my eyes wide. "It seems that you, Miss. Swan, are pregnant."

"What?" I asked, stupidly. Her words didn't seem to register in my head as I stared at her like an imbecile. "I'm...I'm...pregnant?"

"Yes," she said, simply, looking at her watch. "I have to see another patient of mine now, but if you have any questions, than have the nurse call me."

I nodded at her, dumbfounded. I chanced a glance at Edward, and was surprised to see him smiling happily, a dreamy look on his face as he stared at me.

"Are you happy?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. I know that I love you and I have always wanted a baby, but I'm not too sure about the timing."

He kissed my hand and said, "Timing doesn't matter as long as we have eachother."

I giggled at that. "That's the cheesiest thing you've ever said to me, Edward Cullen!"

He mock scowled at me. "Way to ruin the moment, Bella."

I laughed and he joined in, kissing my forehead.

"So we're having a baby?" he asked.

"We're having a baby," I said, grinning widely.

* * *

We were back at Edward's parents' place, and were having lunch with them when Elizabeth decided to bring up the subject about our fake marriage. "So if you're not really married, then I guess you'll be staying in different rooms now," she said in a no-nonsense voice.

Edward and I looked at eachother, and he gave me a slight nod. "The thing is, Elizabeth," I said, nervously wringing my hands. "Edward and I have...uhmm...something to tell you."

I looked at Edward pleadingly, and he took my hands in his and said, "Mom, Bella and I may not be married, but we _are _in love, desperately so, in fact."

A smile broke across Elizabeth's face. "I'm happy about that, and not that surprised actually. I just wanted you two to come out and say it."

Everyone at the table laughed and Edward Sr. said in a low, theatrical voice, "This woman is a force to be reckoned with, isn't she, Bella?" Elizabeth hit him playfully on the arm, while Edward prepared himself for saying the next thing. "Mom, dad, there's something else you guys should know as well. Bella's one month pregnant."

Elizabeth's eyes popped out as Edward Sr's fork slipped from his hands and clattered onto his plate.

"Are you the father, Edward?" Elizabeth asked, frowning.

"Yes!" Edward exclaimed, sounding offended. I rubbed his hand comfortingly.

"Well then," Edward Sr smiled. "I'm glad the baby will have such wonderful parents to raise it. And also grandparents that will spoil him/her rotten."

Elizabeth smiled as well, looking ecstatic now that the shock had worn off. "Oh, Bella!" she said, hugging me tightly. "Thank you so much! I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother!"

I hugged her and we all sat around the table, happily eating our food and discussing the baby's future.

EPOV:

Bella had gone to bed after dinner, claiming she was extremely tired from all the drama of the past few days. I went to the living room after helping my mom with the dishes, and turned on the TV, laughing when I saw 'Dude, where's my car?' was on. My parents came into the room and I was on my guard as soon as I saw their 'you're about to get a lecture' faces, and put the TV on mute.

They sat beside me on the sofa and my mom handed me a small, black velvet box. "If you're serious about Bella, Edward, I want you to do this the right way. I know how much you love her, and now that you're about to have a baby together, it's time you show Bella how much you really care for her."

I smiled at my mom's wise words, and opened the box. It had my grandmother's ring in it. The ring had three, square-shaped diamonds, the middle one bigger than the two that rested on it's side. It was beautiful, and was perfect for Bella's petite hands.

"Thanks, mom," I said, hugging her. "I was going to go buy a ring, but this is perfect. Bella will love it."

"I'm glad, son," she said. "Have you planned your proposal, yet?"

I nodded, not giving anything away. I had everything planned out to a T, and was just waiting for Bella to recover from what that dog did to her. I smiled to myself, thinking about how wonderful it would be when I finally got to make Bella my wife, not my 'pretend wife'.

That night, I fell asleep dreaming about Bella, and small doe-eyed, brown-haired children running around in our house in Chicago.

* * *

AN: Next chapter: meeting bella's parents, the proposal, and chicago. Also, Edward's decision abt his job will come up! Review if you want to read more :)!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks again for all those amazing reviews guys...I wasn't planning on making this a typical B n E story...u know...they fall in love, have a baby etc etc. but I thought it'd give bella the necessary push to make her go with Edward, despite her being emotionally scarred.

Anyhoo, hope u guys like this chapter!

Reviewwwww!

Chapter 11:

BPOV:

_2 days later:_

I woke up earlier than usual that day. The sun was barely up, and as soon as I got to my feet, my stomach lurched. I ran to the bathroom and started throwing up what felt like all of the food I had ingested in the past week. I was hugging the toilet when Edward came in, his eyes half closed. He was jolted out of his sleepy state when he saw me puking again, and knelt down next to me, holding my hair back.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and lay my head down on the cool marble tiles.

"Are you okay, honey?" Edward asked, looking at me worriedly.

I gave him a half-smile and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just morning sickness. Hopefully it'll pass by the end of my first trimester."

"You're saying that this will continue every morning for three months?" he said, horrified.

"Yes," I replied, laughing at his expression.

"Wow! I never thought that pregnancies were that tough."

"Wait till we get to the delivery room," I said sarcastically, getting up with his help. I brushed my teeth thoroughly, trying to get rid of the awful taste in my mouth.

"Do you mind if I take a shower first?" I asked him, not wanting to hog his bathroom, but desperately feeling the need for the hot water to wash away my tiredness.

"Not at all, sweetheart. Take your time. I'm going to go downstairs and make some breakfast for you and my parents. It's about time you and my mom got a vacation from cooking."

"You are the sweetest boyfriend a girl could ask for," I said, kissing his cheek. "And I love you."

He grinned. "I love you, too. More than you'll ever know."

I giggled and got my toiletries from my room, getting ready for the day ahead. We were going back to Chicago today for a short visit. We would be coming back after the weekend, when Edward would start work.

_Flashback:_

_Edward and I were sitting with his parents in the living room, watching TV, when Edward's phone rang. It was Callaway, and he was asking when Edward would come back to Washington so they could discuss his next case. Edward told him that he'd tell him by the end of the day, his forehead creasing with worry for the future._

_"Edward," I said, softly, taking his hand in mine. "We can go back to Washington if you want. I could just continue my old job there."_

_"I don't know, Bella. My job is dangerous, and with the baby on the way..." he trailed off. "I don't want to put your life at risk, and I also don't want the winery to be sold. There's too much at stake here."_

_He looked at his parents, and his dad gave him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Edward. We'll figure something out about the winery. Running it is not a full time job, if you delegate some of the responsibilities to trusted employees. And we have no shortage of those."_

_"Your father's right Edward," Elizabeth said. "And as for Bella's and the baby's security, I don't think they'll be in that much danger if you're not working undercover, or if you have a less...active position at the agency." She said the last part hesitantly, knowing how much Edward loved his job._

_"I can't risk their lives, mom, no matter how small the danger," he said, looking at me with so much love in his eyes that I thought my heart had turned into a puddle of goo._

_Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. "Edward, would working for the CBI be as dangerous as working for the CIA?"_

_Edward snorted. "Definitely not. When you're with the CIA, it's not only the terrorists that hate you, but the feds as well."_

_"So what if you asked for a transfer to the CBI? Then we could stay here, and you could run the winery. There's no lack of interior designing companies here, so I bet I could find a stable job as well."_

_Edward kissed me suddenly, causing me to blush ten different shades of red due to his parents presence. "You are the most amazing woman ever created, Isabella Swan," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "That's a brilliant idea. I'm gonna go call Callaway right now and put in a request for the transfer."_

_Callaway wasn't happy. After all he didn't want to lose such a good agent, but he agreed that with things going the way they were between Edward and I, our well-being and happiness could be threatened by those with less-than-noble intentions. _

_Edward was ecstatic. He had never envisioned everything working out so smoothly. He would begin working with the CBI in two weeks time._

_End Flashback._

I put on a charcoal grey silk shirt with dark jeans and slipped on a pair of grey, jewelled ballet flats. I went downstairs where Edward was standing in the kitchen, making chocolate chip pancakes, knowing that I wouldn't be able to stand the smell of anything else. My stomach growled, alerting him to my presence. He chuckled and placed a plate in front of me.

"You breakfast, m'lady!" he said with a flourish. I laughed and dug into the wonderful food he had made. He joined me a little later, followed by Elizabeth and Edward Sr.

"I'm so glad you taught him how to cook, Elizabeth," I said, smiling at her. "I don't think I'll be able to stand the smell of cooking food for a while."

Elizabeth laughed. "Believe me, Bella, I had no idea my son had such good cooking skills. I never taught him how to cook; he just learned by watching me, I suppose."

I nodded, surprised. Soon we were saying goodbye to Edward's parents and were on our way back to Chicago. I was so happy we were going back. I had missed everyone so much, and was dying to meet them all again, and tell them my good news.

"You look excited," Edward said as we boarded the plane for our flight.

"I am," I said. "I miss Kenny!"

Edward scowled. I laughed at him and said, "Are you jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous of a kitchen appliance?" he said, a little too defensively if you asked me.

"Yeah, yeah,' I said, rolling my eyes.

We reached Chicago and got a rent-a-car from the airport, and drove to our old neighborhood. I was practically bouncing off my seat. Edward looked amused as I asked him if he could go any faster. He placated me, saying that he was following the speed-limit for once as he didn't want to endanger me or the baby. I smiled at that, putting a hand on my still-flat stomach. It would be some time before I started to show, but the thought that I had a little person growing inside me was incredible.

When we reached our old house, I squealed in delight and rushed out of the car to the front door. It was locked and I called Edward's name, scowling at him as he laughed at my impatience. He unlocked the door for me and I went in, loving the homey feel of the place. I had so many memories (both good and bad) in this house, and I felt sad leaving it. I went straight to the kitchen and pretended to hug Kenny as Edward came in.

"Oh Kenny, I missed you so much!" I said, looking at Edward's disgruntled expression from the corner of my eye. I laughed at him and he did the same when he realized I was teasing him. So much drama over a piece of machinery!

It was then that I noticed something strange. "Edward," I asked. "Where's the rest of our stuff. There was a vase here, and a candelabra there by the window."

Edward looked at me shiftily, as if this was a subject he'd rather not talk about. "It was nothing Bella, just forget about it."

"Edward," I said, sternly. I hated it when he hid things from me. It made me feel like he didn't trust me enough, or thought I wasn't strong enough to handle the truth.

"Fine!" he said, defeatedly. "Jacob and his 'friends' came here and trashed some of our stuff before they came to Napa. The agency replaced what they could, but left the rest as it was."

I nodded and shrugged, trying to show him that I didn't care that our lovely home was marred by Jacob's hand. He didn't buy it, but didn't comment on it either, as I walked upstairs. We went up to the attic together, and I noticed my painting was missing as well. I frowned at the fact that something I had spent so much time and energy on was destroyed by Jacob. Nothing new there, but I still felt angry.

We heard the doorbell ring and I ran to the door excitedly, opening it. All our neighbors were standing there, with huge smiles on their faces. Alice was the first one to attack me with a hug.

"Oh I'm so glad you two are okay!" she said, her eyes glistening with tears. "We were all so worried!"

"It's okay Alice, we're both fine, fantastic in fact," I assured her, and then invited everyone in, hugging them and telling them everything was okay now.

We all sat in the living room, talking about the past few days. I made coffee and served nachos with guacamole, salsa and sour cream. Those were the only things I had on such short notice.

"We saw Black and his men when they came here," Emmet was saying as I walked in, carrying a pot of coffee. I almost dropped it when I heard him, thinking about how much danger I had put them all in. Rosalie noticed my expression and walked up to me, taking the pot from my hand and smiling at me reassuringly.

"We weren't in any danger," she said, patting my arm. "They were in a hurry to get to you guys. Don't worry, Isabella."

"Call me Bella, Rose," I replied. "That's what everyone called me before all this crap happened."

She nodded and we talked till it was dinner-time, when everyone went home. They were upset that we were moving to California, but were relieved when we told them we'd visit often. I'd told everyone about the baby and they were so happy for us. Angela offered some helpful advice on what to avoid eating, and smells that kept the nausea at bay.

The next day, Edward wanted to take me to an art exhibit at one of the best studios in Chicago. I was exhausted from the throwing up and the lack of sleep, but I was so excited that I agreed. It was in the evening, however, so we spent the day at Esme and Carlisle's house, playing with Adam and talking to them. When six o'clock rolled around, I went to get dressed for the exhibit. We were going to a fancy restaurant after, but all I was focused on was the art studio. The work of some of the best artists in the world was going to be displayed, and I was so thrilled.

* * *

EPOV:

Everything was prepared. I got ready for our date tonight, wearing a black suit with a charcoal grey, collared shirt. I went to wait for Bella downstairs, as had become our custom. Alice was helping her get ready, a first, because Bella thought this was a very important occasion. She only thought so because of the number of world-renowned artists there, but I knew better; tonight was going to be a night that she would never forget.

She walked towards me, looking as gorgeous as always, but I was still rendered speechless by her glowing smile. She was wearing a floor length, emerald green dress. It was made of a flowy material, and I was mesmerized by Bella's stunning figure as she stood before me. Her chestnut locks cascaded down her back, and her eyes glittered brightly.

"I see you liked my gift," I said.

"Yes. Thank you, Edward," she said, touching the tear-drop diamond earrings I had given her. "They're beautiful."

"Shall we?" I said, offering her my arm. She smiled brightly and took it, and we made our way to the limo I had ordered specifically for today. Bella's mouth dropped open, and she looked at me in astonishment.

"Why did you feel the need to order a limo?" she asked.

"I wanted today to be special," I said, mysteriously.

"Why?"

"You'll see." I helped her into the limo and we drove off.

* * *

The studio was beautiful. It was modern, sleek and had paintings and photographs by various artists on the wall. I could see why it was so hard to get an invitation, and also why this was the most sought-after studio for young, upcoming artists. It was crawling with socialites and millionaires, and as soon as Bella and I walked in, I could see alot of the people's eyes turn to her. Most of the men nodded appreciatively, making my hand around Bella's waist tighten. I wanted to make sure they knew that she was taken.

We started at the beginning of the exhibit, making our way from the first painting of what looked like a misshapen cow's head on a human's body. Bella smiled at me as we went from painting to painting, admiring some while criticizing others. She really liked a painting of a flower-filled meadow and confided to me that if one day, she could paint like that and capture the beauty of nature so realistically, she would die a happy person.

The auction was about to begin, so I took her towards the podium just as the auctioneer unveiled the first painting. The bidding started and Bella looked around distractedly at the people and the painting. Two more paintings were auctioned off, but it was when the third one came that I felt Bella stiffen beside me.

She looked at me, her eyes wide with shock. "Edward, what's...that's my..."

I smiled at her loss of words, and whispered in her ear, "It helps when your former boss loves your girlfriends art-work and uses his connections to get the gallery to showcase it."

Callaway really was a sucker for art, and when he heard of my plan, he was even more willing to help than usual. Bella looked at me, her lips still unable to form words as the auction began. Several people started bidding, but I had my plan in place. The last bidder placed his bid at $20,000, but as they were wrapping up the painting I took Bella by the hand and led her to the podium. She looked at me, confused, but followed me anyway. I took the painting and flipped it over. There on the back side, the words "Will you marry me?" were written in black ink.

Bella spun around to face me, and had tears in her eyes as she saw me get down on one knee, my grandmother's ring in my hand. "Isabella Swan, I promise to protect you and love you till my last breath. I promise to cherish every moment I have with you and to never let you down. I promise to be there for you, and our child. Will you marry me?"

The tears were falling freely down her face now, and she whispered, "Yes!" I grinned and slid the ring onto her finger, kissing her passionately.

Everyone in the room was smiling, and some were even clapping.

"You planned all this? You bought the painting?" Bella asked.

I nodded. "I wanted this to be perfect."

"So you just spent 20,000 bucks proposing to me?"

I laughed. "Call me a romantic fool, but yes I did."

I thanked the man I had asked to bid on my behalf, and payed for the painting. Bella and I went back to the limo, painting in hand. I took her to dinner to a restaurant called "La Bella Luna" where I had my parents and our neighbors waiting. Bella said that if I didn't stop with all the wonderful surprises, she'd have a heart-attack.

"Well then, love," I said, laughing. "I guess I should warn you that another surprise is coming." I pointed to the back of the restaurant where, sitting at our table, were Bella's parents and her step-father. "My mom invited them, and this is the first time they get to meet me."

That was one thing I was slightly nervous about, but with Bella by my side, I felt like I could walk through fire and not feel the burn.

We walked to her parents and she hugged them tightly, saying how much she had missed them all and how sorry she was about the fact that she hadn't seen them for almost six months due to the Jacob situation.

I shook Charlie Swan's hand, and introduced myself. He seemed like a pleasant enough guy now, but I didn't know what he would think of me once he found out I had knocked up his daughter and had just asked her to marry me. I was suddenly nervous, the palms of my hand were starting to sweat and my heart was thudding in my chest.

"Bella," I heard Renee say. "Is that a ring on your hand?"

_Oh this will be lovely, won't it? _I thought to myself sarcastically.

* * *

A/N: reviewww! and sorry guys but I might not be able to update tomorrow.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: hey guys, here is the second-last chapter. I didn't plan on posting a chapter today but all your wonderful reviews made me smile, so I thought I'd put it up. Don't you all just love me;). I will post an epilogue after this and then will take a break from writing, coz my bro's comin bak home after 3 years ^.^ I will start the new story by the beginning of july, so keep voting on the poll. Right now the numbers stand at: 66% for _To kill or not to kill, _and 33% for _The Brothers Cullen. _

It's sad that no-one voted for _Fatal Attraction..._I really liked that story :(

Review guys! and voteee!

_Chapter 12:_

_EPOV:_

Bella looked away from Renee, shifting her weight from one foot to another nervously. "Yeah, mom. Edward just asked me to marry him." She smiled at me, and I grinned back at her. Renee's eyes bugged out, while both Charlie and Phil turned red in anger, resembling raging bulls. In that scenario, I suppose I was the red flag.

"Cullen," Charlie barked, "Outside. Now!" Phil came to stand at his side, and both of them glowered at me. Here I was, a fully trained CIA agent, cowering from my future father-in-laws. I took an automatic step back.

"Of course," I said, my voice smooth. I'd be damned if I left these guys intimidate me anymore than they already had. "This way, gentlemen." I winked at Bella, trying to ease her tension, and saw a small smile tug at her lips.

I guided the two protective fathers to the parking lot outside the restaurant. I stopped beside the limo, leaning against it.

"I know that traditionally I should have asked you for Bella's hand in marriage, Chief Swan," I said in what I hoped was a calm, soothing voice. "But due to the extenuating circumstances, I couldn't do things the way I would have liked to. I didn't even have your phone number, and Bella would have been suspicious if I asked her."

"Well aren't you a smooth-talker," Phil mumbled. I smiled at that. I had been told that I had a way with words.

"All I can ask of you both now is your blessing. I love Bella with all my heart and I can't imagine my life without her. She's been through so much with Black, and I don't want her to suffer anymore. In fact, I'll tear apart anyone who does upset her with my bare hands," I said, injecting venom in my voice at the last part.

"Are you threatening _us_?" Charlie asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Of course not," I said. "I just wanted you to know that anyone who hurts Bella will have to go through me first. She loves you both very much, and I could never hurt someone whose love and approval are important to Bella. I would appreciate of you extended the same courtesy to her. She values your opinion, so I would prefer if you made her life a little easier."

They were both standing there in shock. I didn't think they had realized the depth of my feeling for Bella until now. I nodded at them, and started walking slowly back to the restaurant.

"I don't know about you Charlie," I heard Phil's voice say. "But I like this guy. He seems really protective of Bella, even more so than we are."

I heard Charlie grunt. "I guess you're right, Phil. At least I know he'll keep my baby girl safe from thugs like Black. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Billy's family was part of an organized crime ring."

"It's okay man, we've all been duped at one time or another," Phil said. I smiled and entered the restaurant, walking up to Bella, Renee, my parents and all our friends sitting around the table, laughing. Bella was glowing with happiness, as she gave me a heart-breaking smile, and clasped my hand in hers. I kissed her head and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, hugging her close to me. I was never going to let her go...ever.

_BPOV_:

I saw as Edward, Charlie and Phil went outside. I knew Edward could hold his own, but even after all this time, I was unsure of whether he really wanted to go through all this trouble just for little old me. But at the moment, I had more pressing matters to attend to. Renee stood in front of me, her expression completely bewildered.

"Sit down, mom," I said, motioning to a chair. We both sat down and I decided that I would do this fast and simple, like ripping off a band-aid.

"I love Edward, mom, and for some insane reason that's beyond my level of comprehension, he loves me too." I took in a deep breath, and continued, my voice breaking a little despite my attempt to steady it. "After everything with Jacob, I was so broken that I thought no-one would be able to heal me, and I'd spent the rest of my life putting on a fake smile to fool the people around me into thinking that I was fine. But now, my smile is genuine. Now my heart doesn't hurt from the pain that Jacob caused. Even the scars are healing now, only because Edward's been acting as my healing balm." All the time I was talking I kept my eyes down, afraid of what I would see in my mother's eyes, but when I looked up, tears were streaming down her face. She took me in her arms and sobbed, "Oh my baby...my precious little girl! I can't imagine what you've been through, sweetheart, and I wish I could have protected you like a mother is supposed to."

"It's okay, mom, I'm fine now. There was nothing anyone could have done...but it's all okay now, thanks to Edward."

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm glad you found someone like Edward though, honey. I can see he makes you happy, and he really does seem like quite a gentleman. Not to mention handsome." She giggled at the last part and I laughed with her. My mother really was a piece of work.

"He is rather perfect," I said, smiling. "Do you now he proposed?"

She shook her head and I told her the story, at the end of which her mouth was close to hitting the floor. "Are you serious? He spent $20,000 on your painting, that was in his possession in the first place?" I nodded and she seemed just as dumbfounded as I was.

"Well, it was a really sweet proposal," she said with a smile, and I understood that she approved. Elizabeth came up to us at that moment, knowing our conversation was over, and called everyone for dinner. Edward came in just as Felix and Emmet were telling us about the first time they tried to get the girls in the neighborhood to build a house with them for charity. Leave it to say, that at the end of their little adventure, Rosalie had bird poop in her hair and tears on her face, and the walls had flowers on them because Alice had figured out how to do art with a nail gun.

"Did you tell her about the baby?" Edward asked, whispering in my ear so Renee wouldn't hear. She was too busy making wedding plans with Elizabeth and Esme, anyway, to notice our preoccupation

"No," I said. "I didn't want her to think that was our reason for getting married. Her and Charlie got married because she became pregnant with me, so she's very opposed to the idea of marrying someone just because you're pregnant."

It was then that a doubt popped into my head. I hadn't thought of it when he had proposed, but now the idea shook me to the core. "Edward, you didn't just propose because of...the baby did you?" I whispered.

"Of course not, Isabella!" he said, sounding offended. He only called me by my full name when he was angry or serious, so I knew he was upset. "Do you think that little of me?"

"Of course not, Edward. It was just a stray thought, I'm sorry." Tears were gathering in my eyes. Crazy hormones! Edward's expression immediately turned to one of regret.

"Awww, Bella, don't cry," he said, kissing my cheek. "I'm sorry I got angry, love."

"It's not your fault," I sniffed. "It's the stupid hormones."

He chuckled and we ordered dinner, exchanging anecdotes with the people around us, and having a very enjoyable night.

* * *

Both Edward's parents and mine stayed in a hotel for the night, despite our insistence that they stay at our house. The CIA had let us keep it for another week and we were having fun with our neighbors, especially Rosalie, Emmet, Jasper and Alice. Alice wanted to help me plan the wedding, but I was not really into the whole 'huge wedding' thing. They came over alot, and Rose and I had more in common now with our sudden pregnancies. I had yet to tell my parents about the baby, but I was stalling. I knew it would cause my mother to throw a fit, and my dad to threaten Edward with his gun. Phil would just bring over his heaviest baseball bat and beat Edward silly.

I thought I could prepare them in some way and then tell them, but I was at a loss as to what method would be best. I talked to Edward about it one day.

I was sitting at our kitchen island, a plate of uneaten apple pie topped with red jalapenos in front of me. I had my head in my hands as I thought about what I was going to tell Renee and Charlie.

"Looks like the weird cravings have started," I heard Edward's soft voice say. I looked up at him and gave him a shadow of a smile. He wasn't fooled and asked me what was wrong.

"I don't know how I'm going to tell my parents about the baby."

He frowned. "I'm guessing they're going to have a problem with us having a child out of wedlock, correct?" I nodded.

He smiled, and said, "Let's get married now, then."

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"Let's go get married in Vegas. We could have the big wedding afterwards if you want, and you can tell your parents that we're married and having a baby. Just like any other normal couple."

"Edward, that's absurd! We can't just go to Vegas and get married. That'll make them even more suspicious."

"Not if we tell some people first," He said, cheekily.

"No, Edward. That's a ridiculous idea. You're not making any sense. This won't make my parents less mad," I said, all the while thinking how much I would love to go to Vegas and be married to Edward within a few hours. It was such an appealing idea, and Edward saw right through me, as always.

He gave me a crooked grin, offering me his hand and said, "Shall we, love?"

"Edward, no," I said, trying to resist.

"Think about it, Bella. No tulle, no lace, no wedding cake or china patterns. Just old jeans and an Elvis impersonator as a minister."

I groaned defeatedly, putting my hand in his proffered one. "Oh fine! But you'll be the one to tell my parents."

"We can lie and tell the we didn't know about the pregnancy until after the wedding."

"No," I said, frowning. "I've had enough of lying and deceiving people."

"I've got a better plan. Neither of us will have to deal with the repercussions then. At least not for a while," he said, pulling out his cell and punching in a number.

"Hello, Alice? This is Edward. Yes we're fine. Could you please do me a favor? Could you gather everyone and bring them to our house? Awesome, see you in a few."

We sat in the kitchen in silence for a few minutes, and when the bell rang, we invited everyone in."Hey guys!" Edward said, cheerfully. "So here's the deal. Bella and I are going to Vegas to get married." Everyone hooted and cheered us while Alice and Rose both gave us glares which gave a completely new intensity to the phrase, "If looks could kill."

"But here's the problem, Bella's parents don't know about the baby, so we need you guys to explain the situation to them. Thanks. Bye!" He grabbed the car keys and pulled me up. We went to the car, laughing at some of the shocked faces of our neighbors.

"I can't believe we're doing this," I said, grinning widely.

"Yes, in a few short hours, you will be Mrs. Isabella Cullen," he said proudly.

_EPOV:_

The five hour flight seemed too long, but we were finally there. When I switched my phone on at the Las Vegas Airport, I had 20 missed calls, all from either Renee or Charlie. It rang again, and Renee's name popped up on the screen. Bella snatched it from my hand and turned it off again. When I looked at her for an explanation, she simply said, "I want to be a bit impulsive and reckless for once." I thought she was just scared, but I let it go.

We took a cab, went to "The Mirage," and booked a suite there. We asked the receptionist at the front desk to get us a limo and told the chauffer to take us to the nearest wedding chapel.

"We've made the limo thing a bit of a habit, haven't we?" Bella said, smiling as we entered the chapel. There was the Elvis impersonator. I raised an eyebrow at Bella, and motioned to the wannabe Elvis.

She laughed, and there, in front of a man pretending to be a dead rockstar, we said our vows. We had come here as Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan. Now we were Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, and I couldn't have been happier.

* * *

A/N: I know it's a bit short, but the epilogue will be longer. Reviewwww! And vote on the poll ppl!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: OMG! so many wonderful reviewssss! thanks guys:)

LaylaNightshade: There were no votes for _Fatal Attraction_ :( maybe the website messed up. Vote again if ud like:)

So here's the last chapters guys...there were requests to put in more chapters but unfortunately, I don't have the time to write another chappie :( so i put in time jumps instead! You will see a very hormonal bella in this :P I will write an epilogue tho, just to show you all how everything turned out. Tell me what you think!

Chapter 13:

_BPOV:_

When we got back to Chicago, the whole place was in uproar. Renee was sobbing and mumbling about how she had failed as a mother, and how the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. Phil was trying to comfort her, while Charlie was pacing and calling Edward every bad name he could think of. I was glad he hadn't brought his gun to Chicago with him.

When Edward and I walked in the door of our house, this is the scene that greeted us. After the blissful day we had spent together, it seemed like they were raining on our parade. I frowned at the trio, and said in a firm, though menacing voice, "Stop it. All of you."

They all froze, as I dragged Edward by the hand to the sofa. I flopped down on the loveseat and glared at my parents.

"Edward and I love eachother. We are now married and are having a baby whether you like the fact or not. We didn't rush into marriage because of the baby, but because we love eachother and didn't want to wait any longer. And also because I never wanted a big, white wedding. You guys can either accept the fact and support me, which I would prefer, or you can sulk all you want, which won't make a difference anyway."

They were all quiet, looking at me with wide eyes. After a few minutes of the less-than-comfortable silence, Phil said to Renee, "Looks like she got your temper, honey."

Everyone laughed, Edward and I included. "It's going to get worse as she gets further along," Charlie said softly. "Be warned, Cullen."

"Of course, sir," Edward said, a cheeky smile on his gorgeous face. "I look forward to seeing her throwing vases at me for no reason."

I hit him upside the head. He groaned and looked at me questioningly. "That'll teach you not to mess with your pregnant wife," I said matter-of-factly.

He chuckled, kissing my hair. The tension that had previously filled the room was completely gone. Everyone was smiling now, and Renee even decided to take knitting classes so she could make booties and wool hats for the baby. The fact that we would be living in California didn't put a damper on her spirit.

_1 month later:_

My first trimester was now behind me, and I could finally see a well-defined, round bump as I entered my second trimester. It wasn't that prominent due to my petite frame, but the time had come for me to get maternity clothes. We had moved back to California, and had bought a house for ourselves close to the winery. If I looked out the window of my bedroom, I could see the green expanse stretching out for miles. Our new home was a medium-sized, white, two-story, three bedroom house. We had turned one of the rooms into a nursery for the baby, using neutral colours to decorate it. The pistachio, white and light yellow colours Elizabeth and I had chosen went perfectly together, making the room my favourite in the entire house.

Edward has started working for the CBI and had been assigned to work with Patrick Jane and Agent Lisbon's team. He was enjoying his work immensely, and had forged a very close friendship with Patrick. I was happy that he had made a friend after his socially isolated time with the agency. I missed my own friends from Chicago and I could tell Edward did as well, so one day when we came back from the gynaecologist, we had a huge surprise waiting for us at our house.

In our normally empty driveway stood two cars that I immediately recognised; one was a yellow porsche 911 turbo, and the other was a jeep wrangler that was so big I used to have to jump to get into it. Leaning against said cars, were four of my favourite people; Rosalie, Emmet, Jasper and Alice.

I literally threw the door of Edward's precious 'Stella' open and ran to hug my friends. Edward did the same but with a lot more dignity and a little less enthusiasm than me.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, grinning as I looked from one of ecstatic face to the other.

"We're moving here!" Alice squealed.

"Oh my God!" I squealed back. "Are you serious? How? When?"

"Well, ever since you guys moved, Chicago hasn't been the same," Alice explained. "So we decided to apply for jobs here. Jasper got a job at a nearby university and I'm opening my own boutique which I've wanted to do for a _very _long time. Emmet has decided to open a garage here like he had in Chicago, and of course, Rose is on maternity leave from the modelling agency."

"Wow! That's amazing you guys. I can't believe you came here just for us," I said, my eyes tearing up. Both Rose and I were a blubbering mess in a few short minutes, while Alice wrinkled her nose and said she never wanted to get pregnant if she would be like us. That brought on a round of hysterical laughter which earned us the nickname "the crazy preggo-duo." Edward invited everyone in and I played the part of the host, getting everyone coffee, cake and cookies. Edward's eyes brightened when he saw the cookies. I had discovered his love for all things sweet a long time ago, but his endless affection for chocolate-chip and peanut butter cookies never ceased to amaze me. He would eat the entire batch within a few short minutes, unless I hid them from him in a cookie jar whose location I kept secret. I also knew that if I ever wanted Edward to do something he didn't want to, all I had to was bribe him with the cookies. Yes, we have a very mature relationship, I know.

I went shopping for maternity clothes with Alice and Rosalie that day, as the three men unpacked everything the movers had brought from Chicago. I felt bad for them, but apparently Jasper and Emmet had lost a bet and this was their punishment.

"What was the bet?" I asked Rose.

She smiled wickedly. "They thought that Alice and I wouldn't be able to hide our coming here from you. Now they know better than to mess with us."

I laughed, and we spent the rest of the day getting clothes, eating greasy fast-food and spending the first of many days together under the California sun.

_2 months later:_

I had my five-month check-up at the doctor's, and Edward couldn't be there because he was on some case that Patrick had a personal interest in, so Alice went with me instead. She had been working on her boutique 24/7 but she wanted to see the baby, regardless of how small it would be.

"Mrs. Isabella Cullen," a nurse called out. Alice and I stopped our chattering and made our way to the examination room. My OB/GYN Dr. Chelsea Hammond came in, turning off the lights and turning on the ultrasound machine.

"How are you feeling, Mrs. Cullen?" she asked.

"Good. The nausea has finally stopped, so I'm getting in a good few hours of sleep. I've been taking the pre-natal vitamins that you gave me, as well. So it's all better than before."

"And the caffeine intake?" she asked sternly as she applied the coupling gel to my abdomen.

I threw my arms up in exasperation. "Yes, I have quit the coffee. I'm drinking that awful, caffeine-free herbal tea Edward got me. It sucks." I pouted. That had been the hardest part of the pregnancy so far, even more so than the morning sickness. But I had to do it for the baby's health, so I agreed, with a lot of insistence on Edward's and Dr. Hammond's part.

A whooshing sound began coming from the machine as the doctor placed the probe on my stomach. "See that?" she pointed to a white blob. "That's the head. And those are the arms and the legs. That's one tall baby."

I smiled, wishing Edward could have seen this. Alice jumped up and down excitedly, saying "Holy crap! There's a person inside you! Look look!" I laughed at her and heard my baby's heart-beat for the first time, bringing tears to my eyes.

"Do you want to know the sex of the baby?" I shook my head. Edward and I wanted it to be a surprise. Dr. Hammond printed out a few pictures for us to take home. Alice dropped me off at my house and went to her boutique. I baked a red velvet cake as I waited for Edward to come home. It had become a nervous habit; whenever I was stressed, I baked. It was 5:30 now and Edward should have come home half an hour earlier. I started fidgeting with the baby's things in the nursery, trying to soothe myself with the smell of baby powder. It worked to an extent, but I was still worried as I came back downstairs to call Edward. He was two hour late now, and my frazzled nerves were causing me to imagine scenarios that made my hands shake. As soon as I picked up the phone receiver, however, I heard the key turn in the front door and Edward appeared, seemingly safe and sound.

I threw myself into his arms, sobbing into his shirt. He winced slightly and panicked, saying, "Bella, what's wrong? Are you okay? Is the baby hurt?"

I shook my head, and whispered, "We're fine." He smoothed the hair on my head, and asked my why I was crying.

"I got worried when you got late," I said, wiping the silly tears off my face. "What took you so long?"

"Uhm, the case was a hard one," he said, hesitantly. "Patrick had too much riding on it to mess it up, so we had to put in a little more time then usual. I'm sorry I frightened you."

"It's ok," I said, smiling at him. "Want some cake?"

"Just let me get changed," he said, kissing my cheek and going upstairs. It was as I was frosting the cake that I noticed that Edward's clothes were different from the ones he was wearing when he went to work in the morning. The change was subtle; this shirt had thicker white stripes than the other blue one, but I caught it. I shrugged it off and went back to icing the cake. I thought I'd just take the cake upstairs, and we could have it in bed instead of the uncomfortable couch which hurt my back.

I walked upstairs carefully, two pieces of cake placed in a plate with two forks in hand. I was especially careful not to trip and miscarry another baby, so I was more cautious than usual. I opened the door to our bedroom, and was shocked at the sight in front of me. Edward was standing with his back to me, holding a bloody bandage in his hand as more of the red liquid seeped out of a wound on the right side of his abdomen. My head began to spin and the plate in my hand shattered onto the floor, alerting Edward to my presence. He spun back, shock clear on his face.

He reached a hand out to steady me as I swayed. I fought against the blackness that threatened to overtake my conscious mind; I won, as I heard Edward call out my name.

"What happened?," I asked, trying to asses the damage done to my precious husband. "Who did this?"

"It's nothing, Bella," he said, pressing fresh gauze onto the wound. "Please, don't worry. It's not good for the baby."

"Stop lying, Edward," I said, angrily. "That doesn't look like nothing."

He sighed as I continued to stare him down. "It's not a big deal. It was just a flesh wound. The fight today got a little rough. That's all."

"Don't you dare downplay this, Edward Cullen," I said, trying to stop my voice from sounding choked up. "Tell me what happened from the beginning, and don't leave anything out."

"Fine!" he said, his tone defeated. "Patrick's wife and child were killed some time ago by a killer named 'Red John'. That's why he joined the CBI, so he could get revenge But this guy is smart. This morning, we went on a false trail he had set up, falling into a trap. Patrick, the team and I tried getting out of it, but we were shot at. I just got a flesh wound in the abdomen, but Lisbon got shot in the leg. It's going to take her weeks to heal completely."

I winced. "Didn't you see a doctor?"

"I did. He took out the bullet and stitched me up, but the stitches got torn," he said, still trying to get the bleeding to stop.

I got off the bed we were sitting on, grabbed the car keys, and said, "Come on, I'm taking you back to the hospital."

"Bella, calm down. I can go by myself."

I pulled him up and dragged him downstairs, walking to the car. He got into the passenger side while I drove to the hospital.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"Because I knew you would stress out," he smiled.

"Edward, I swear to God, if you _ever_ lie to me or hide something from me again, I'll kill you myself," I said, angry tears falling down my face. "_And screw the protecting me crap, please._" (AN: quote!)

"I just didn't want you to worry, Bella. That's why I convinced the doctor to let me go early."

"Don't ever do that again. Got it?" I said, not looking at him.

"Fine!" he huffed.

I smiled and parked the car, taking my stubborn husband to the doctor before he collapsed from the blood loss.

_4 months later:_

Things that I had done easily in the past were extra hard to do now. Things like putting on matching shoes and stretching my back to relax my tired muscles were impossible tasks. Edward chuckled at my frustration but helped me with everything he could. My friends were a great help too, as were Edward's parents. Everyone brought us home-cooked meals so I didn't have to tire myself out cooking. We really did have the best friends a person could ask for.

Rose had a beautiful baby girl a month ago, and was ecstatic with her little bundle of joy. They had named her Hayley Alice McCarty, and Alice had been appointed godmother. I was about ready to have my baby as well, and was moaning about the long pregnancy to Edward.

"Why can't the baby come already?" I huffed. "I've been this way for nine whole months!"

"First of all, you didn't even know you were expecting until a month after you get pregnant. Second, you've only been this big for a few months. And third, you think this pregnancy is long? Elephants have a gestation period of almost 2 years!"

My eyes bugged out. "Did you just compare me to an elephant?" I screamed. I heaved myself off the couch, took the stiff back cushion I used for my back and started hitting Edward with it on the head.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Bella stop. I'm sorry, honey. Please stop hitting me!" he pleaded.

I was about to smile at him and forgive him, but at that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and doubled over, clutching my bump.

"Bella, what is it," Edward said, panicked. my face was contorted in pain as I replied.

"I think I need to go to the hospital."

* * *

A/N: Don't you all wanna know what happens next? hehe! review if you do! epilogue tomorrow!

REVIEWW!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: so many amazing reviews! I was so happy guys! thank you all so much! To all those people who read my story and reviewed on each and every chapter, I am so grateful. I will begin writing _To kill or not to kill _in july.

So here is the epilogue. Hope y'all like it:)

_Epilogue:_

Third person POV:

It was a sunny, albeit cool day in Napa, California, as the Cullens sat underneath the shade of a tree. The park wasn't that crowded since it was a weekday, and they were enjoying the sunshine and pleasant temperature. Bella and Edward were sitting on a blanket, a traditional picnic-basket placed between them, as they drank the cold, bubbling liquid from paper-cups.

"Jason, keep your sister away from the pond!" Bella called out to a little four-year-old boy with unruly bronze hair, and deep brown eyes.

The little boy pouted and ran after his two-year-old sister, shouting, "Lizzy! Come back with me to mom and dad."

The two kids came back to their parents, and sat with them. Lizzy's brown curls bounced as she crawled into her father's lap, and she looked at him with her intelligent green eyes, saying, "Daddy, Hayley want cookies!"

Edward smiled at her and handed her one. Bella wasn't surprised at how much she had him wrapped around her little finger. She had that affect since the moment she was born. Edward gave her everything she asked for, and threatened to kill anyone who even as much as looked at her the long way. Bella sat hugging her first-born; he really was her favourite, but that was the way it was between most parents who had a son and daughter.

Edward smiled at Bella as he put away the champagne and took out a bottle of orange juice instead. He gave some to the kids in fresh glasses, and almost jumped when a loud, booming voice shouted, "Eddie, my man!"

Emmet, of course, was the cause of the ruckus as he walked forward, towing his two girls with him. Rosalie was walking behind him with Alice, Jasper and their new-born baby boy.

"Hey guys," Bella greeted them, heaving herself off the blanket and hugging her two best-friends. All the kids went on the swings to play while the parents chatted and ate from the three, large baskets.

"So how's everything going with Edward's job?" Alice asked Bella, putting her sleeping baby in a wicker moses basket.

"It's going well. He's not a fan of the whole 'doing things from the sidelines' part, but after the last bullet to his leg, I can't risk it," Bella sighed.

"I would have felt the same way," Rose said. "I don't know how you let him keep working on the Red John case for so long. I would have never let Emmet do that."

"I didn't want to hold him back, but enough is enough. Do you know how many gunshot wounds he's had in all his years of service? Fifteen!"

"Oh my God!" Alice's eyes bugged out. "He got shot fifteen times?"

"Yeah! I'm so done with wondering whether he'll come back home in one piece or riddled with bullet holes."

"Are you ladies talking gossiping about me?" Edward said, hugging Bella around the waist.

"Do you know anyone else who got shot as many times as you did?" Alice said, raising her eyebrow at him and smirking.

Edward chuckled, and said, "No, but do you guys want to continue this conversation at home? The sun's about to set and the kids are getting tired."

They all nodded and set about buckling their kids up in car-seats and booster-seats. Bella was folding up the blanket when Edward whispered in her ear, "Happy fourth anniversary, love."

She turned around and gave him a huge grin. "You too, sweetheart. It's kind of funny if you think about it though."

"You think that our having a long, healthy, and successful marriage is funny?" he replied, his expression astounded.

"No, not that. I meant the way we met. Think about it; we met when I was put in the witness protection program, we actually fell in love while pretending to be in love, we ran off to Vegas to get married while our parents were planning our wedding, and we also had another wedding just to satisfy Elizabeth, Renee, Esme, Alice and Rosalie."

Edward smirked. "We're a right pair, aren't we?"

"That we are, sweetheart. Now I believe we have to get home and put our sleeping toddlers in bed," Bella said, taking Edward's hand and walking to their car.

They were both as much in love as they were in the beginning of their marriage and had vowed never to leave the other's side. Their children were loved and adored by both their parents, and were spoiled by their grandparents. Neither could have ever imagined such a happy ending for the workaholic CIA agent, and the abused girlfriend of a drug-lord.

A/N: sorry its short, but it's 6 am now, and my eyes can't stay open anymore. thank you all for all the amazing support. Watch out for my next story:)


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